Paradigm Shift
by ShiroxIchi-Rabu
Summary: What happens when you wake up and find that everything you knew to be true was a lie fabricated from your mind? What if that isn't quite the case but something more? Ichigo is about to find out. AU-ish ShiroIchi
1. From One Matrix to the Next

**Story Title:** Paradigm Shift  
**Chapter Title:** From One Matrix to the Next  
**Authors:** AliceKing and Higure-kun  
**Pairing:** eventual ShiroIchi  
**Rating/Warning:** T for this chapter (swearing)  
**Words:** 8,737

_**Note from Higure: Yeah… I know. I'm really pathetic, right. I am in a bit of a rut in my own fics and started RPing with AliceKing. Now this idea is just something I randomly thought of. I normally don't delve too much into complete AU's, but this nagging thought intrigued me. Hopefully everyone else will too! Cheers!**_

* * *

He couldn't believe it... After all of what he had been through... Was it really going to end like this? He had trained over a month and he was still not strong enough? There was that fight for dominance in his own soul and he even but up with that pig-tailed blonde! He should've been stronger! Was this his limit, after defeating that former Espada? Those cool green eyes in front of him were the eyes of the Cuarta Espada. He wasn't even the Prima Espada! If he was there, losing to the fourth one, did he really have no hope at all in defeating Aizen? He had to save Orhime, damn it! He had promised he would! Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't, no wouldn't, fail her! He wouldn't fail the others either. They were depending on him! Chado, Ishida, Renji, and Rukia. All of them were waiting on him to make it through!

The teen was about to launch forward, despite his injuries, when he felt it. It was cold and pierced him to the very core. Shock chocolate eyes looked at the white hand stabbing his chest, sharper than any knife or sword he had ever come against. The pain didn't even register in his mind as Ulquiorra yanked the hand out, leaving a ghastly hole and sending blood flying, splattering, everywhere. Was this really his limit? Was he doomed to die here, unable to help and save his friends? As his world began to turn black, he vaguely heard the crying scream of the little arrancar girl that had followed him all the way here. Only one thought entered his mind and stuck as he felt lift slip through his grasp.

_No... I will not give up..._

* * *

That was then, and this was now. Chocolate brown eyes slowly opened as Ichigo Kurosaki finally started waking up. The first thing that he found off guard was the bright lights in his eyes. Was he in a laboratory being tortured? Was he locked up in one of the plain white rooms, doomed to be kept there all alone until killed and serve under Aizen? Chocolate brown eyes fluttered with confusion as he looked around, finding himself in a...hospital room? No, this didn't make sense at all. Why was he in a hospital room and not fighting the arrancar!? He sat up with a fast movement, groaning as he felt pain surge through his body. The strawberry blonde saw all the actions flash in his eyes. Orihime's face, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra's hand in his abdomen, and the soft sound of Nel's crying as he faded in to darkness... Was he dead? Was he alive? He couldn't even tell if he was real at the moment as questions flooded his head, making him dizzy.

"Where...am I...?" he asked aloud, finding his voice hoarse.

Ichigo panicked a bit as he felt himself hooked up to different machines, bandages on his body. This was all too much for him, and he was all alone in the room. Damn it, he needed answers! Ichigo needed to get out of here and back to Heuco Mundo and finish Aizen off!!

"Well what do ya know," a voice huffed from the doorway. "Looks like 'lil King woke up."

Ichigo groaned as his eyes turned into slits upon hearing 'king'. "You sound different..." he muttered, "Shirosaki..."

Golden eyes rolled as the teenager strolled over to Ichigo's bed. He plopped down on the chair closest to the kid, propping his feet up on the bed. "Shirosaki? What the hell? Ya damn well know m'name is ONLY Shiro... Seriously... Who would name their kid Kurosaki Shirosaki? Sounds like a fuckin' oxymoron t'me."

Orange eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You...don't HAVE parents...stop being stupid ya damn hollow..." he growled. This didn't make sense, not at all. "And...where did your robes go...? And your eyes..."

Shiro crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. He had to sit here in this room with this half-wit against his will. The older teen brushed off his black shirt with black-painted nails. He wore black tripp pants with white stitching and chains crossing in the back. Black boots were still propped up on the hospital bed. Of course his eyes were a golden color, and his hair was snow white, though he personally passed it off as a platinum blonde to school officials. His eyebrow was pierced as well as his left ear, many bracelets adoring his wrists. Golden eyes made contact with chocolate ones.

"Fuck... Doctors said ya might have some memory loss, but damn if it ain't annoyin'... Ya are soundin' like ya are from 'nother place 'ntirely!" He frowned. "It's the 20th century so no one wears robes 'nymore and what the fuck is a hollow? And as fer your information... I have my eyes 'cause my mother had this color o' eyes... Thin' called genetics or did ya forget 'bout that sorta thin' too?"

Ichigo looked him over, again and again and again. "I suppose...it suits you...it definitely looks...nice...on you..." he suppressed a slight blush as he sighed. "Whatever you say Shirosaki, I know you're just fucking with me." He raised a brow. "And what do you mean, what's a hollow? Why don't you just go back and pester Zangetsu in my mind, ya damn hollow!"

"What's with that shit anyways? Humans can't SEE you Shirosaki. How could ya tak to a doctor?"

The older teen clacked his tongue against his teeth in annoyance. He reached down and yanked the board hanging off of the boy's bed. Growling, he read. "Patient's name... Kurosaki Ichigo. Age sixteen. Gender male. Height is one hundred an' seventy four centimeters. Weight is one hundred and seventy kilometers. Suffered head trauma from falling two stories out of 'is high school buildin' o' Karakura... Any o' this soundin' familiar?"

Shiro read on after flipping a page or two. "Family members... Kurosaki Isshin... Kurosaki Karin... Kurosaki Yuzu... an' Kurosaki Shiro."

The other teen stared, stared, stared, and stared. He couldn't believe his ears. His...BROTHER? "I-I didn't fall from a-a school! I-I was fighting Ulquiorra! At Hueco Mundo!! A-and O-orihime...S-she...She's there! I have to save her g-god dammit!!"

"And I'm only fifteen years old god dammit!!" he shouted as an afterthought.

With a growl, Shiro grabbed Ichigo by the collar of his younger brother's hospital gown. "I don't know what the fuck ya are playin' at, Strawberry, but let's get this straight... I've been here watchin' your fuckin' comatose ass for the past six months! Ya think I like wastin' my time here when I should be goin' to a university or some shit like that? Eh!?"

He roughly let go of Ichigo with a sneer, gesturing to the giant bouquet of flowers on the register sitting beneath the window. "An' yer ex-girl friend is just fine. She's been here 'tleast three times a week since ya were 'dmitted. All yer dumbass friends have been here on an' off. Fuck even Grimm showed up once or twice an' he still has t'go t'school in Tokyo!"

Ichigo looked startled and nodded weakly, laying back and staring at the ceiling. This was...this was just crazy! No hollows? Shirosaki his brother? Grimmjow coming to see him and even Orihime his...ex girlfriend? "This is...all...so surreal..." he murmured, "Sorry you had to look after me and stuff. How long have I been out?"

"I told ya I've been watchin' yer ass fer a good six months..." Shiro huffed. "Since you're up and 'wake, guess I should get the bastard or someone..."

Ichigo quietly examined him, sighing gently. "Oh...r-right okay..."

Shiro proceeded to the door, grumbling about stupid-ass fathers and how it was his responsibility as the older brother to look out for the younger brother. He snorted and turned to shoot a glare at the object of his distain. "HALF fuckin' brother..." he muttered under his breath and exited.

Ichigo brought the sheets up over his head, yelling loudly; mostly a loud 'fuck!' This wasn't FAIR! He had no idea how this all happened. All he knew was this was the most paranormal universe he'd surely ever been in EVER.

The older teen frowned as he came back to the room, one of the nurses in tow. She had hazel eyes and green-turquoise hair, something no one had ever bothered questioning her about since everyone in the hospital loved her. This and his father had commented on how she was the best help they had ever had. He glared inside the room, crossing his arms, casting his molten gaze to the older woman. "Ya goin' to check up on 'im or what?"

"Of course!" she beamed, ruffling white hair. "Don't be so mean, Shiro-kun! You should be happy he is awake!"

"Like a fly is happy when the housekeeper gets a new swatter," he grumbled off-handedly.

She rolled her eyes at him and entered the room. All smiles, she cried out in joy at seeing the teenager, even if he had thrown his sheets over him. "Ichigo-kun!"

Ichigo pulled down the sheets, stairing in disbelief. "N-Nel!?" he asked, staring with wide eyes. Nel! Maybe she could help him figure out this crazy thing that he was supposed to believe was his new 'life'!'

"Nel! You need to help me get back to Hueco Mundo! And explain why this hollow thinks he's my brother!"

Nell looked over to Shiro for answers, only getting a shrug from the older teen in reply. Puffing out her cheeks in mild irritation at the eldest Kurosaki, she turned to Ichigo with a smile back on her face. "That's not very nice to say about your onii-chan, Ichigo-kun! Everyone's been really worried about you!"

"Che! As if!" called out Shiro, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Shiro-kun!" he chided, mussing with orange strands apologetically. "Now Ichigo-kun... I need to give you a check up, okay? I'll just take your temperature and blood pressure. Then I'll have to go get Isshin-san or Ishida-san so they can ask you a few questions, m'kay?

Ichigo stared blankly, sighing and looking away. "You're no help either." he said with a grunt. "Fine, check me up ,do whatever."He decided to go along with this until he could FIND Zangetsu or at least an arrancar that wasn't...practically a child mentally. He knew Nel was SMART but she had her kind of...spacey mind. Maybe she was in on this,maybe everyone was playing a huge ass prank on him!

"I'm loads of help!" Nel pouted. "Even Ishida-san has said so once or twice!"

Shiro's eyes watched, almost calculating, as Nel went through the routine. She stuck the thermometer in his brother's, half brother he reminded himself, mouth. After waiting, the nurse removed the glass object and wrote down the results on her clipboard. She then went ahead and took his blood pressure and scribbled down more. When finished, she looked pleased and was beaming brighter than ever. "All done! Everything looks great, Ichigo-kun! I'll go get someone now!"

As she left, Shiro paid no mind. His intense stare, one that many would run away from, was still locked on Ichigo. Oh how he loathed him... Everything about the other teen pissed him off to no end and here the brat was acting like they didn't know who the hell they all were!

The orange-haired teen was too busy staring perplexed at his hands to realize the glare on him. He didn't care anyways, he was just horrified of everything going on. All this...All this was unbelieveable! Why did his entire life have to take a one eighty degree turn? Ichigo supposed that if he played along long enough someone would get tired of the little prank and call it off and they could all have a good laugh about this in his face. Whatever, he'd just...go along with it as best he could.

"What the fuck're you staring at Shiro?" he asked, snorting at his 'brother'.

The other teen raised one eyebrow. "Ya tell me, Ichigo. All ya have been doin' is spoutin' random shit from yer mouth... I'm gettin' fuckin' 'nnoyed by it 'lready an' ya damn well know how it goes when I get pissed at ya... Or maybe ya don't remember the last time I sent ya here?"

Ichigo stared and swallowed his pride. "Yes Onii-chan, please do forgive me for my stupidity." he sneered, smirking at his brother playfully. He wasn't scared of him, honestly. Maybe if he coaxed him into putting him in ANOTHER coma, he'd be back where he was SUPPOSED to be!

"Least ya 'dmit t'bein' a dumbass..." Shiro smirked right back, even if it did feel off. It wasn't like his brother to actually fight back.

"If that fag keeps me over night I swear to god I'll jump out a window and kill myself the right way this time..." he stretched his arms and legs, stairing at his arms. "Cuts...?" he asked no one in particular, stairing at arms with a questioning look. "Who the hell would mutilate my arms..?"

"Glass, 'lil King. That's what happens when ya fall through a window... Glass breaks and the shards get stuck in yer skin..."

"Oh..." he paused. "Duh..." he snorted at his stupidity, rolling his eyes. "These look like they were done by blade though..." he shrugged it off, figuring it was just wishful thinking.

"If that's what it's like to be in a coma, sign me up," the elder brother snorted, scowling. "I'd love t'get away from this hellhole..."

"I think I got away from another hell hole and entered an even weirder one..." he mumbled to himself, looking around once more with a sigh. "So...do we like...hate each other or something? Because you don't seem so bad..."

"Ya really don't remember 'nythin', do ya? Che... What a waste of time..."

Shiro strode over to where he had been sitting previously. Once again he sat down and propped his boots up on the bed. He was still fucking irritated to all hell. That wouldn't likely change either, as long as he still had to babysit... Damned Ichigo and damned father... "I hate yer guts, though I ain't sure 'bout ya. I never cared 'bout how ya saw me."

Ichigo brought his knees to his chest, sighing. "Okay then..." he murmered, asking nothing more. If Shiro didn't like him then that was fine. He didn't like him in the other world either so it wasn't too bad he guessed. Ichigo glanced at the door then back down as he gave a small noise of discomfort. Maybe he'd get killed by something before he got used to this whole 'world' thing this was.

Shiro was about to comment when a very distinctive cry of 'IIIICHIIIIIGOOOOO' could be heard down the hallway. The older teen groaned and then face-palmed. It was no wonder as Kurosaki Isshin came flying through the door. Once an idiot, always an idiot. Atleast, that is how Shiro saw it. He doubted if anyone disagreed.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin wailed, pulling out his wallet and nuzzling the picture inside. "Masaki! Our boy has finally woke up from his nap! We knew that he would come around, didn't we!? Our son is strong!"

Ichigo stared blankly. "Get the fuck out dad, seriously. Not in the mood."

He smacked Isshin's face with his palm. His dad was the same too. He was worried for a minute that he'd be an asshole here or something, since everything seemed odd. Ichigo flopped back on his bed, sighing and staring at the wall. "Someone kill me..." he groaned.

"Can I really?" Shiro commented dryly.

Isshin only laughed. "Oh Ichigo! I can't do that! Every good father has to take care of his son!"

"What the hell old man!?" the older teen hissed. "I've been here more than anyone!"

"It's your duty!" Isshin beamed, making his way over to Ichigo's bedside again, reading over all the data the screens were displaying. "You're the eldest, Shiro! Now Ichigo, sit up so that daddy can check out his son!"

Ichigo retreated, falling into Shirosaki's lap with a yelp. He didn't bother getting up, instead using his older brother as a shield. "No way are you getting your hands on me creep!"

"Oi!" Shiro yelled in protest, twitching in anger.

"But Ichigo! I cannot let you run around with out one! There could be something wrong with your brain still! You were in a coma for sooooo long and your daddy has missed you terribly!" Isshin said, still coming closer, nuzzling the photo once again. "Masaki! Where did I go wrong!? Our boy suddenly no longer wants my affections! Oh what will our daughters think!?"

Karin leaned in the door. "I still think you're a freak." she stated blankly.

Ichigo blushed, deciding he wasn't going to remove himself from his older brothers comfy lap until he was pushed off!

"No! You just...ugh it'd feel like rape in some sense! You're TOO affectionate!!" Ichigo squawked in protest, glaring.

Isshin wailed. "Is everyone against me!? MASAKI! Our children have grown up to be such spiteful beings! They wound me deeply!"

"Stop yellin' old man..." Shiro growled, dropping his legs in an attempt to dump his younger brother on the floor. "Don't fuckin' add me into that 'lil messed up family image o' yers... Oi! Ya comin' in or not, Karin? Where's Yuzu?"

The younger brother only ended up clinging more to Shiro. Ichigo's arms now hung around his neck securely as he stared blankly at his father.

Karin waltzed in, dressed much like Shiro. She had sort of adapted her style from him, and looked up to him. The girl looked up to Ichigo too, but for different reasons entirely. Shiro was just so badass, like her! "Yuzu ran off to go get her stuffed animal...thingie...Kon...from Nel."

Ichigo gaped. "Kon!? Hah, poor bastard." he ignored stares of confusion from his family. "I mean...uh...right...stuffed animal..." he gave a shit eating grin. He was really going to have to work at playing all this off.

"Che... Girl needs to drop the damned thin'..." Shiro commented, ignoring his father's wails about language, and turned his glare to Ichigo. "Get the fuck off, King. Let the ol' man get 'is job done so I can go home..."

"But onii-chan is so comfortable!" he said in the most childish voice he could, smiling innocently up at Shiro. "Won't onii-chan hold me a little longer?"

He could really get used to this...

Shiro's pierced eyebrow twitched violently. He suddenly stood and shoved Ichigo off of him. His glare was a heated intense gold as he jabbed a finger at his younger brother. "Half brother ya shithead!"

"Shiro!" Isshin said with a frown. "Stop acting like a child or else you will have to give your brother a nice hug and a big kiss!"

Ichigo stood swiftly, as if unharmed though it kind of hurt his ass. "Pffft" he pouted. "I was just having a little fun. I missed my onii-chan all this time I've been asleep!"

"That's my boy! Now sit down. Daddy needs to give you a proper exam before releasing you. Karin? Please remove the bandages like a good girl. Those cuts have been healed for months! Shiro! Start pulling out his IVs and do NOT make it hurt on purpose!" Isshin said, in his business-like manner.

The younger brother stared blankly. "Like this?" he randomly pulled out one of the IVs, not even twitching the least bit. Grimmjow hit harder then that; it was just a little needle anyways. "Hm...like a mosquito..." he mused plainly.

He found it almost pathetic that his father couldn't even tell the difference between being serious and sarcasm. No wonder he got away with so much shit!

"Dumbass... Goin' 'bout it all wrong..." Shiro smacked Ichigo's hands away. He reached over and turned off the machines, one by one. The eldest of the siblings then started to remove all the tape around the various hoses. The last thing he did was press his fingers against Ichigo's skin, drawing the needles out slowly. It was odd... Shiro was in no way albino, but against Ichigo's still sun-kissed flesh, it made his complexion far paler in comparison.

Isshin was all business too. He took out a little flashlight and checked Ichigo's pupils. The doctor then proceeded to check his reflexes as well. He paused and looked at his son with a serious expression. "Nel-chan told me you were experiencing some... hallucinations of some sort. She mentioned that you were speaking of hollows and a place called Hueco Mundo. I don't know if you realize this, son, but none of what you've experienced is real. The mind does many things to itself in order to stay working. It is a complex structure."

"You mean..." he whimpered. "I went through fifteen years of what I thought was my life in a coma!?" he asked, staring in disbelief at his father. He shuddered, smacking all hands away, and leapt off the bed.

"Oh god...f-fuck this!" he yelled, running out of the room and down the halls. Where he was headed or what he was doing was no concern of his right now. He just needed to get away from this all. It was driving him insane! A soft growl of frustration escaped Ichigo's lips as he finally stopped minutes later, finding himself up the fire escape, on the roof. He was panting, meaning he had gone a few flights of stairs.

His whole life was just his imagination!? Did that mean...no hollows? No Rukia, no Soul Society and no Hueco Mundo? That just couldn't be! It was so real, every fight, every time he spoke, felt an emotional; it was the entire most realistic thing he'd ever experienced! It was...it was his life!

A few moments later a hand gripped hard on his shoulder. "Fuckin' moron... Just had to overreact..."

Ichigo jumped at the contact, hissing. "G-g-g-go a-way! I-I just w-wa-ant t-to d-die!!"

Shiro spun him around, grip still tight on his shoulders in surpressed rage. "Eh? Ya want t'die? Go ahead! Go and jump! I'm guessin' that's what really happened, even if Kuchiki an' Abarai say otherwise! Ya 'lways have been a whiny brat! Whenever somethin' doesn't go how ya want it to, ya have a fit! Always have! Always runnin' to the highest place ya can get to! And who is it 'lways fuckin' chasin' ya down? Me!"

Ichigo felt himself tear up against his will, arms wrapping around his brother. "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I j-just don't understand!!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. He was so confused and frustrated! It hurt to think, and to breathe right now! His whole what he thought were fifteen years were a lie and now he was supposed to be expected to just go la-de-dah with all of this going on!? He didn't remember any of this ever happening and he was just expected to act like it had and go about his life as though this is the way he knew it to be? That was unjust! And his so called half brother wasn't making it any easier for him, the asshole!

Fists clenched at Shiro's sides at the contact and the fresh tears starting to stain his shirt. Really... The shit he went through for this whiny prick... Unbelievable... He growled lightly. "Ya shouldn't have run off... The bastard wasn't finished speakin', dumbass. I heard all o' it before so ya are lucky... Memory loss was expected, King. Not one of those deadbeats downstairs care if ya remember or not. Th' only thin' that matters to them is that ya are up, 'wake, an' ready to live life again."

He snorted and then continued, only pushing the still sobbing teen away from him a little. "So get yer ass back down there, eh? Stop bein' a crybaby..."

Chocolate eyes looked up at him, nodding gently and blushing a bit. "Y-yes Onii-chan..." he removed himself from Shiro reluctantly, looking down and then back up at him.

"Would you have...rather I had never woken up?" he asked curiously, in a quieter tone as he whipped his eyes.

The older brother thought about this for a moment. He ruffled orange locks and turned away, heading to the door that would lead them back to the stairs. Not a word was said and his gaze was unreadable. Shiro only stopped to see if his half brother would catch on he expected to be followed back.

Ichigo paused for a moment, fixing his hair on instinct and followed after his brother, He stared at the back of his head. Maybe this Shiro wasn't really as much of an asshole as he acted to be. Maybe he really cared for Ichigo...? The strawberry boy pushed the thought away, deciding to think on it later as he made his way back to the room close behind his older sibling. His eyes glued to his feet. He felt helpless in this world!

"Don't get me wrong..." Shiro said as they walked back, nearing the room with the expected family. "I still hate yer guts... There's just no reason t'get all upset if ya don't remember anythin'. Doesn't do 'ny o' us 'ny good."

Ichigo smiled a bit to himself, looking up with a scowl. "Whatever, I don't seek your approval anyways!"

Shiro giggled, amused with this comment. "That's news t'me. I'm kinda curious with what happened in yer head these past few months 'nyway. Might have t'force ya to share."

"Oh dear lord, now you want to spend time with me?" he laughed and glared playfully. "Careful Onii-chan, people might accuse you of actually liking me!"

The older brother clacked his tongue with a silent hum following. It didn't matter anyway, as Shiro would be stuck looking after Ichigo anyway. It is how it always was and that pissed him off to no end. He turned the handle to Ichigo's room and sidestepped. As predicted, Isshin came barreling out with his fish-like kissy lips. Really... The man was too easy to read.

"My sons have come back to me!" the man cried, attempting to latch onto Ichigo since he failed with Shiro.

Ichigo ducked at his father's attack, missing him with ease. He didn't act much different here then in his 'dream' world he supposed he'd call it. "Baka!" he growled at his father, rolling his eyes and moving back into the room. "Give me real clothes, this thing sucks."

"KARIN!" Isshin darted back into the room. "Did you bring your brother clothes like Daddy asked!?"

"Yeah but...uh...ya see..." Karin held up a bag that resembled one of hot topic. "His clothes piss me off, so I bought him new clothes."

"That's my girl!" the doctor wailed, giving a thumbs up. "You love your brother so much that you bought him a new outfit! See, Ichigo!? Your sister has missed you almost as much as me!"

Karin rolled her eyes, handing him the back. "Whatever, hope you like them onii-chan." she gave Ichigo a smile. Ichigo, Yuzu, or Shiro were the only people who ever got smiles out of her. Isshin was just...ugh STUPID. He didn't get anything besides bored looks and snarky remarks.

Ichigo blinked and took the bag, ruffling the younger sibling's hair. "Thanks Karin..." he removed his hand from her head, looking around. "Uh...I'd hate to be blunt but LEAVE so I can get dressed!"

Shiro rolled his eyes and Isshin was tearing up. The old man was wailing and moaning something about his son growing up. He made a comment about how he needed to be there just in case something went wrong and Ichigo feel over and hit his head again. The eldest of the siblings rolled his eyes again. Shiro grabbed his insane father by the collar of that white coat from behind. He started dragging out the old man and motioning for Karin to follow.

Karin followed like a lost little puppy. She was like that with Shiro ever since Ichigo got into the coma. She didn't want to watch her only other brother, even if he was a half brother, die the same. "Oh shut it dad, make Shiro stay if it means so much to you." she suggested plainly.

"OOOO! Karin you are so smart! Shiro! Stay with your brother!" Isshin flailed.

Shiro gawked. "No fuckin' way ol' man! 'Lil King can take care o' himself!"

"I agree! I'm sixteen fuckin years old, just get out!!" Ichigo hollered, already starting to pull his stupid little medical dress thing off since Karin had gone off to find Yuzu. He dumped everything in the bag out on his little bed thing, thankful she'd bought him boxers… Well... They were rainbow striped but they were boxers none the less! Ichigo quickly pulled them on over his legs, liking how they hung securely on his hips.

Meanwhile, Shiro was walking down the hallways. He was a bit hungry and since hospital food always sucked, vending machines were the only actual choice he had. Not paying any attention to the nurses and all the other doctors scrambling about, he made his way out of the buidling. Across the street were the two machines that had supplied him many a meal while his idiotic brother had been in that patient room. Slipping in a few bills, he selected two items that would tide him over until he got home for a meal. Sliding in some more in the other machine, he got some tea. When all items were gathered in his arms, he headed back. No doubt that old man would want Shiro to take everyone home, so he shouldn't go anywhere, for now. With a grumble, he made his way back to Ichigo's room.

Ichigo finished dressing himself, and was just a LITTLE bit uncomfortable in his clothing. It was tight in all the right places. He now sported a tight shirt with a rainbow on it, tight jeans that he swore were cutting off circulation, along with an unneeded belt and converse shoes. Ichigo wasn't sure why he'd put it all on really, he DID have boxers and it was all he needed but he was nice and decided to wear all the stuff anyways, even the striped arm warmers...

"Ya look like a fag, Ichigo," Shiro stated simply, a piece of pocky hanging from his mouth. He had just opened the door, relieved that his brother was fully dressed. Their sister had chosen quite the interesting ensemble...

The younger brother jumped a bit, grunting and glaring. "I know...but...Karin picked it and I'm not gonna be a dick and not wear the clothes she gave me," he stated simply, shoving his hands in his pockets. " 'sides she gave me eyeliner too, but I just couldn't go that far... "

"Believe me... You don't need it. C'mon... I haveta take ya and the girls home."

Ichigo blinked in confusion and nodded. "Okay onii-chan..." he murmured simply, brushing past his older brother out into the hallway.

Shiro's brow twitched at Ichigo's words, biting down hard on his pocky. He followed silently behind his younger brother, only stopping to yell at Yuzu and Karin to come along. It was really irritating to him, but at least he'd be able to pass out on his bed once they got back. Pressing the button on the elevator, he tossed his box into the trash and took out another.

Karin marveled at her brother, tugging at his clothing. "Onii-chan, you look great in what I bought you! I thought it might be a little too big...but they're just right." she grinned a bit, looking him over but then frowned. "No eyeliner?" she asked.

Ichigo raised bis brow and blushed a bit. "I...don't know how to put eyeliner on...and I already look gay enough as it is!" he cried in response, crossing his arms as he leaned back in the elevator.

Karin crossed her arms as well. "But girls love the gay!" she insisted.

"Yeah, so do the gays!" Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.

"Enough, ya two," Shiro hissed. "Just get goin' to the bus stop. Oi... Ichigo..."

Ichigo stopped his bickering with his younger sister and looked over. "Yea onii?" he asked.

Shiro took Ichigo's hand by the wrist. He pressed on the pressure point in the teen's arm to make the palm open up. With a bored expression he set enough change in Ichigo's hand to get on the bus. He then gave Yuzu and Karin their share to get on as well.

Ichigo blinked and took the change silently, staring at his brother for a long moment. He wasn't even sure WHY he was staring anymore, accept for the sake of taking the hole idea of his brother in. Shiro was...just something else entirely to Ichigo. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about Shiro interested him, even attracted him to the slightly paler, older boy.

Even though he could feel Ichigo's eyes on him, Shiro ignored it. Instead he took Yuzu and Karin's hands, the demanding younger sisters that they were, and continued on to the bus stop. They'd have to walk once they got out of the downtown area, but the eldest didn't really mind. It wasn't that much of a chore to walk, but the bickering and the talking was. Shiro didn't really like being social or civil and it was grating on his nerves to be nice for once. He glanced over his shoulder at his half brother and rose an eyebrow expectantly. "C'mon..."

The other teen snapped out of his little day dream and nodded his head, following after his older brother obediently. From everything he had collected of Shiro, he figured that he must listen to his brother's wishes in this world, so he thought he'd go along with that as to not confuse people. Ichigo stayed quiet, much quieter then he did in... his 'dream' world. It was because he didn't know WHAT exactly to say that didn't make him sound crazy or like an idiot.

It took only a few minutes for the bus to arrive. Shiro ushered in the twins first, following right after them. He placed his payment in the container and took a seat in the back. His golden eyes stared out the window on his right, arms neatly folded over his chest. There was a scowl painted on his face and looked as though he really just wanted to go away. He did finally rip open his other box of pocky and started to eat it. The bus would be a good ten to twenty minutes before their stop...

Ichigo sat directly across from Shiro, but was stairing at the ground. He sat much like L from Death Note, slightly perched on his feet,knees to his chest and back slightly bent.The strawberry blonde had a lost look on his face, just trying to settle into everything. Ichigo wondered if his room was the same here too, 

and if he had supposedly lived out almost fifteen years of his live in THIS world, did he incorperate what he knew in this world into that which he knew of the dream world?

Shiro kicked the seat next to Ichigo. "Stop spacin'."

Ichigo squeaked in suprise, glaring at his brother and snorted. "What's it ta ya if I do??"

Lips quirked into a grin. Whatever this was causing Ichigo to bite back at him, Shiro would accept it with open arms. Something happened, he knew, but wouldn't dare say anything about. "Makes ya look pathetic, not that ya ain't."

"You should be the last person talking about pathetic oniichan." he replied with a little grunt and another smirk, directing his attention back at the ground. He wasn't interested in arguing with Shiro, he really didn't give a damn what he guy thought of him. Or maybe he did...and that pissed him off more!

"Oh? Why th' hell do ya say that, 'lil King?"

"Case ye got nothin' better ta do then down grade yer own brother, onii-chan."

"Half brother, fucktard..."

"Oh whatever." he grunted, glaring at him for a moment before looking away again.

Shiro kicked the seat again, this time more out of irritation than anything. He really did hate the little fucker. Ichigo always had been over Masaki when they were younger. The brat always was at his adopted mother's side and she always, always took away the tears on the orange-haired brat's face. Shiro narrowed his eyes dangerously, the golden orbs shining with malice and hate as he glared at Ichigo. What he wouldn't give...

Ichigo quietly traced things on his pants with his finger, thinking and thinking. Shiro was his half brother, and his mother had only been married once so his father must have had him with another woman. Ichigo didn't mind, but he was curious as to when Shiro had come to live with him, but he thought it stupid to ask his half brother. Ichigo realized too that his mother was dead, all due to him, in this world too, right? Or else she would have for sure been at the hospital with him. Ichigo gave a soft sigh at this realization, He buried his head against his knees, closing his eyes.

The bus came to a shuddering halt about fifteen minutes later. Shiro arose from his seat, the girls following suit. He got out of the bus and, as if on autopilot, started out in the direction of home. Since he wasn't one to like his tea cold, Shiro had decided to pop the lid now and start drinking it. The eldest paid no mind to his younger brother following along or not. It was just expected that he did.

Ichigo had followed along after his older half brother, with his sisters. His eyes were still on the ground, but he followed along obediently. The strawberry blonde had decided that he wasn't going to ask questions, and he wasn't going to talk more then needed. Right now Ichigo just wanted to go curl up in his room and die.

Shiro was pleased with the silence provided, something he was not blessed with all that often. He felt the tension, but he would be damned if he asked the spoil brat what was up. It was another half hour before he caught side of their house. A puff of air escaped his lips and he trudged on, taking out the keys from his pocket. The building was the same that it ever was, the attachment to the house's right still remained the same from when their father had finally stopped working the clinic and agreed to work at the hosptial with Ryuuken. His room was located in there as well as a study, after a bit of remodeling.  


He sighed and pulled out the keys. Shiro unlocked the door and took a step inside, kicking off his boots. Yuzu came next, delicately sliding off her shoes and immediately going to the kitchen. Even though she hadn't said a word so far, the little girl wanted to make the perfect dinner for the return of her younger big brother! She wanted everything to be just right and had been thinking about it the entire time. Shiro followed her into the kitchen, laying the keys on the table.

The orange-haired teen kicked his shoes off, shuddering a bit as he looked around. So far, the same as it was in his dream world. His eyes took everything in and he headed upstairs wordlessly, turning the way his room was located and opened the door, blinking. It looked the same… everything... It was as though he had never left his dream world at all. Maybe this was all just a big joke… That was what he was hoping anyways.

Karin took her shoes off as well, blinking and following Ichigo upstairs as quietly as she could. Her older brother was acting so strange, she wanted to find out what was wrong! The Ichigo she knew...well...he knew how to do makeup, and he certainly never talked back to Shiro! "Onii-chan...?" she asked a bit quietly, blinking when the boy turned around startled by her.

"Y-yea?" he asked a bit quietly, looking at her with eyes that she could tell were lost and confused.

The girl took a step closer, hugging Ichigo. She was still much smaller then him, but not as small as when she was twelve years old. "I know...you're confused and estrange but onii-chan it's okay...we're here..." she said in the quietest voice she was sure she'd ever had.

Ichigo blinked and his eyes softened as he hugged the small girl in return. "I know I just...feel like this is the dream world and that was the real world..." he murmured.

Shiro was busy peeling and cutting potatoes for Yuzu. His feet were propped up on the table and his eyes staring at the knife as he meticulously cut the vegetable. Yuzu was humming a happy tune. That stuffed lion was sitting on one of the counters. Why she drug the thing around, he didn't know. The girl was twelve and still loved that old thing that Ichigo had given to her a few months before the accident. Maybe that's why... The twins had been terribly attached to his younger brother.

He was brought out of his thoughts when a spoon smacked his hands. Shiro blinked and looked up to see the angriest look Yuzu could muster. "Don't put your feet on the table, Shiro-nii!"

"Che..."

"Don't 'che' me!" she huffed, puffing her cheeks out. "Get them off and clean the table!"

Shiro grumbled at the girl, but took his feet down and placed the cut potatoes into the pot. He then got out a rag and started wiping down the table. As an added bonus, he even started to set it. It wasn't a big deal, but doing so would make things less of a hassle and he wouldn't have to deal with that girls pouting face anymore. As he set everything just right, as he knew Yuzu was a little OCD when it came to this, he vaguely wondered what was going through everyone else's minds about their brother...

Ichigo came downstairs with Karin at his heels a bit later, and well, she had decided she'd remind him just how one was supposed to put eyeliner on. He just looked...Ichigo just looked like a pretty pretty girl in eyeliner. It was dark around his chocolate brown eyes, making them pop out and look rather intense. It also drew attention to just how feminine and pretty his face was, especially with that cute little lost look. At 

least he didn't have a permanent scowl on his face anymore, but rather a soft, lost look that he was sure to have for a very long time.

"Doesn't onii-chan look nice now??" Karin asked, clapping her hands a bit as she gave her older full brother a pat on the back, obviously happy with the work she'd done.

Shiro snorted. "Ya turned him back into a fag... An' here I was enjoyin' not lookin' at 'lil King's face like that..."

"Onii looks good with makeup on! Dad told you to stop being so down on his lifestyle!" Karin snorted, hitting her older half brother over the head swiftly.

Ichigo gave the blankest expression. "Life...style...?" he questioned, looking a bit uneasy of getting an answer on that one.

The eldest flicked Karin in the forehead for that and turned his attention to the lost look on Ichigo's face. "Ya DID dump th' princess, King..."

Karin whined and hit him again, rubbing her forehead. "What do we do onii? Ichi-onii-chan doesn't remember he's gay!"she whispered to her older half brother, giving him a worried look.

"So...? People break up all the time..." he blinked a few times, crossing his arms and looking even more confused then he already was

"More like ain't interested in 'anythin' at all, Karin," Shiro huffed. "Or are ya sayin' that ya like girls just 'cause ya are a tomboy?"

She puffed her cheeks and turned red, bashing him over the head repetitively. "G-gah! Shut up onii-chan you don't know anything about me!!" she cried in anger,spinning on her heels and exiting the room.

Ichigo watched her go and turned his attention back to Shiro. "Wow...yer good with women, aintcha?"

"Karin!" Yuzu called after her, placing the spoon in Shiro's hands and chasing down her sister.

After rubbing his scalp a few times, Shiro frowned. He went to the stove and stirred the pots contents slowly, not wanting to have a wailing Yuzu come back. The girl was a little scary when she was upset. Even more so, Shiro really just didn't like it at all when she cried, which was often... "I don't give a shit."

Ichigo sighed, seating himself and putting his feet up. He stared off into space, a bored expression on his features. "I have an intense need for a smoke right now..." he said out of nowhere, feeling himself twitchy with a need known as addiction. He smoked? Christ he was asking himself questions about himself, himself! He should know what he did and didn't do.

"Ya quit two years 'go 'fter the old man found out 'bout it and hours an' hours o' two cryin' 'lil girls raggin' ya 'bout it," Shiro hissed. "Got tired o' coverin' yer ass. Remember ya poutin' at me for two whole weeks."

"I pout...?" he asked, sounding lost again. He was overloading with curiosity of himself again and just simply asked his brother: "Can you tell me about myself onii-chan? I don't...I don't remember anything and you seem to know me..."

Sighing in agitation, Shiro turned off the heat. He turned around, leaning against the edge and glared daggers at his younger half brother. "Forget 'bout it t'night and just fuckin' smile an' nod 'lot. Ya fell from 

two stories and ya are lucky t'be with yer precious sisters and idiotic father. Just take what ya have fer right now an' maybe it'll come back t'ya. If not, then ya know damned well where to find me."

Ichigo stared for a quiet moment, eyes softening a bit and he nodded, figuring his half brother was not in the best of moods now, or if he was ever in a good mood at all. "Shiro, I gotta ask though...am I like...gay...or something?" he blinked, biting his lip. "Cause I just feel strange... like... I'm a spirit in a totally different person..."

"Personally? I don't know what was goin' on in tha' head o' yers. Ya had dumped the princess an' the next day ya threw out all o' yer clothes and demanded new ones. The shit ya are wearin' now is what ya had been wearin' for 'bout a month before yer accident."

Shiro scoffed. "Thought that th' outside finally matched the whiny spoiled bitch inside..."

The teen looked a bit surprised and taken back by the 'whiny spoiled bitch' insult. He wasn't sure why, but the words hit him fairly hard and stuck. It was taunting his head as he looked at his older half brother. White teeth chewed on a tanned bottom lip and he looked away before turning and smiling warmly at Shiro. "I spose you're right onii." he bowed a bit.

"I'm not hungry, please excuse me!" with that Ichigo swiftly made his way back up to his room, quietly closing the door. What was this strange tug at his heart? It hurt...and annoyed him to no end!

Deciding that this skipping plan was his best option, the eldest Kurosaki made his way to his room. Once inside, he promptly locked the door. It wasn't like he needed someone barging in on him. His golden eyes scanned his room. It wasn't as sparcely decorated as Ichigo's. There were several posters from various bands on his walls. Black curtains hung from he two curtains, matching the plain black bedspread. His pillows were white, as were the sheets. The bed itself was against the far wall, not close to the windows. However, his desk--as cluttered as it was--had been placed under the window.

He groaned and yanked off his shirt, throwing it on the floor. It's not like he was the neat and ordly type. Shiro promptly changed into a pair of shorts, once again throwing his pants into the heap of clothes. Stretching once, he pulled back the comforter and dove an arm under the bed. Coming out with a MP3 player, he stuck the buds into his ears and cranked it, hoping that nothing would disturb him this time.

Ichigo contemplated how he would face the world tommorrow, figuring he had to go back to school. All his friends, would they still be there or were they all imaginary too? Only time could tell him these things, but for now he knew he had to sleep.

As the orange haired teen closed his eyes, he let out a small sigh, realizing just how empty inside he felt. Maybe it was okay to feel this way though, considering he just was told his entire existence was a lie up until a few hours ago, and he was a whiny bitch...

* * *

Yuzu noticed instantly that both of her brothers were missing, frowning a little bit. She sighed and, instead of getting angry, put everything into containers for the next day, and set some aside for when their father would come home. On a post-it note she wrote just how long the man would need to zap it in the microwave for. Quietly she headed up the stairs and headed onto her room, casting a lingering glance in the direction of Ichigo's room. Yuzu knew everything would be all right, despite how things looked now.

Silently as she could, she made her way to Ichigo's door. The girl knocked on the closed door gently. "Ici-nii?"

Ichigo wiped his eyes a bit. He'd found himself break down. With the crying he realized maybe he shouldn't be alone much, since it gave him time to let everything settle in and the realization could also grasp him. Not to mention the sing song voice of his conscience letting him know he was pathetic.

A tanned hand grasped the knob of his door, twisting it open. "Y-yea Yuzu?" he asked, mentally cursing himself as he just knew his eyeliner was smudged and fucked up.

The girl opened the door a little more and smiled softly at her brother. "I'm glad you are back, onii-chan."

The orange haired teen smiled as best he could force himself too, hugging Yuzu gently. "Glad to be back..." he murmured.

"Onii-chan... It's okay, you know... We're here and we will still love you no matter what. So... Ichi-nii needs to just be Ichi-nii and not worry, okay?"

Ichigo gave a soft sigh, nodding his head. "I-I just...don't know who I am Yuzu...and you know onii-shiro isn't making it any easier..."

He brushed fingers through his orange locks. "Though I suppose asking for kindness out of him is really stupid."

Yuzu blonked. "Shiro-nii was being nice…"

"Maybe I just am too spoiled to realize it..." he grumbled, mostly to himself, and sighed.

"If onii-chan doesn't want to be... He could just change it," Yuzu stated, her eyes shining with innocence.

Chocolate brown eyes scanned her curiously. "Do I act spoiled...or whiny..?" he asked. Of all people he figured he might get SOMETHING out of Yuzu that he could think on.

"Well... You did complain a lot," she said, tapping her finger on her chin.

"Mmm...I suppose I did..." he replied gently. "I'll work on that...I don't exactly want him to hate me...or anyone for that matter..."

She giggled. "No one will hate you, Ichi-nii! Just be you!"

The girl yawned, indicating it was time for bed. She leaned up and gave her brother a little peck on the cheek. Yuzu bid him goodnight and scampered off to her room to join her sister. Today had been exhausting emotionally for everyone, so she was going to get up early and make a good breakfast!

Ichigo closed the door of his room, smiling a bit to himself with a gentle sigh.

_Maybe...everything will be okay... _He thought quietly to himself, crawling back under his covers to slip into sleep.

* * *

**Shiro, Yuzu, Isshin - Higure  
Ichigo, Karin - AliceKing**


	2. Dreams

**Story Title:** Paradigm Shift  
**Chapter Title:** Dreaming  
**Authors:** AliceKing and Higure-kun  
**Pairing:** eventual ShiroIchi  
**Rating/Warning:** T for this chapter (swearing)  
**Words:** 13,636

_**A/N: Higure again. Sorry about the delay. It's final's week and all. This chapter has been done for quite a while. However, due to the length of this… It took a while for me to give it time to edit it out a while. Either way… There really are no comments for this one, so please enjoy it. We should be back with another chapter whenever we are able to get it done. Cheers!**_

* * *

It was the annoying wail of the alarm clock that woke Shiro up. He immediately covered his head with the white pillow in a sad attempt to ignore the thing. When the screaming failed to cease, the teenager growled and slammed his hand on the device, completely not getting the button. Finally awake and coherent, Shiro sat up and turned the thing off, groaning and brushing his fingers through white stands of hair. He was never really a morning guy; Shiro was more of a night owl.

With another groan, he made his way over to the closet. Taking a few moments to decide what he wanted to wear, Shiro snagged a midnight slim-fit t-shirt and a black pair of jeans along with socks, boxers, and a towel. Trying to be as quiet as possible, though Yuzu was already up and cooking, he went up stairs and took a shower. It was about ten minutes later that he finished, waltzing down the stairs. His hair was still damp and the towel was around his shoulders. Shiro took no time in just throwing the wet towel into his room without hanging it up and returning to the table with a yawn. There was something that needed to be done today, and he wasn't sure if his younger half brother would want to do it after their sisters left for school.

Ichigo hadn't really slept all that well in the first place. His eyes WOULD have looked tired without makeup, and he would have looked upset if he wasn't so colorful. When the orange haired teen had gone through every last piece of clothing he owned, but sadly they were all tight and feminine.

A last resort, the 'manliest' thing Ichigo found was a pair of tight jeans, a black studded belt, and a very form fitting t-shirt with a band name across his chest. Over that was a plain black hoodie with cupcakes covering it, and a heart in the center when zipped up. His eyeliner was the usual, but with a splash of sparkles that he'd accidentally gotten into and practically got the damn substance all over his room, but managed to only get it around his eyes.

With a look over of himself, Ichigo pranced his way downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast.

Yuzu was smiling, as per usual and set lunches for her and Karin aside. She busily got everything at the dinner table set. Her breakfast was pancakes with some various toppings. She set them in the center of the table while Shiro once again started to set the table. Along with the nice stack, she placed strawberries, whipped cream, cinnamon, syrup, and powdered sugar for the various toppers. The girl cheerily got milk and poured five glasses, as Isshin had already left for work an hour ago. Shiro, at this time, was making coffee; it was something the eldest of the siblings really needed of a morning. With a smile at her brother, she sat down.

Shiro, on the other hand, still looked gloomy. The guy really hated getting up. He pulled out his chocolate creamer from the fridge, always having a thing for sweets. The teen pulled out his cell from his back pocked and flipped it open. Shiro smirked at the text that he got from one of his only friends growing up. 

As he poured his coffee and put the creamer in, his mind was already at work trying to time everything for today just right. He sat down, mug in one hand and his cell in the other, texting the guy back. Today was looking better already.

Ichigo had quietly just grabbed himself an apple and gave a little wave, explaining that he wanted to get out early so he could take a longer route to school. Part of the reason was so that he could clear his mind. Ichigo had found the only backpack in his room to be a rainbow striped messenger bag, it was ripped and sewn and mix-matched. The bag was slung over the orange haired teens shoulder as he shoved his feet into his shoes, heading out the door.

Golden eyes glanced over at his brother. "Sit yer ass down, 'lil King."

"But..." Ichigo blinked in confusion, but sat down anyway.

"Ya really think that ya are goin' t'go t'school without wearin' yer uniform and when ya haven't been there in over six months?" Shiro said skeptically, taking a drink of his coffee.

Yuzu was pouting anyway. "And you haven't really eaten anything, onii-chan. I made breakfast!"

Ichigo blinked. "Well...I looked through all my clothes last night but my uniforms are all pretty much… gone..." he replied, glancing over at Yuzu.

"Oh uh, I'm not really hungry Yuzu..."

"Oh..." Yuzu stated while placing one on her plate, a little sad.

Shiro, on the other hand, wasted no time in getting something to eat. He placed two of the pancakes on his plate, giving Ichigo a dark look. The eldest then took his favorite toppings, strawberries and whipped cream, and covered his food in them. He really did have a sweet tooth, and strawberry just so happened to be his favorite flavor. Though as he cut into his meal, his golden eyes intensified as he continued to glower at Ichigo. "Ya were gone, Ichigo. That means ya missed crucial lessons, tests, and more. Do ya honestly think that ya can go in today, when there are only a few weeks left in the semester, and pass?"

The younger brother thought quietly, and gave a little sigh. "I suppose not...but...what am I going to do besides school onii? I've never really had a knack for anything else..." he leaned his face into his hand, giving a confused look.

"You're really good at dying hair and doing makeup." Karin piped up, smiling cheekily. "Maybe you could get a job for under the table cash!"

Shiro glared in Karin's direction as he took a big bite. "Why don't ya be the one that does that shit...?"

"Shiro-nii!" Yuzu frowned. "Don't swear and don't talk with your mouthful. And sit down and eat Karin!"

Karin shook her head. "Places to be, places to be..." she said in a voice that made it as if she was dazed off, and turned, making her way out of the kitchen and out the door.

Ichigo thought for a minute. He was looking at Shiro again, but not for very long. The teen was going to try to not get in his brother's way or make himself appear to be annoying. After all, he wanted Shiro to like him, and not think he was an extreme brat.

The eldest reached over the table and patted his little sister's head. Even though his plate was empty already, he didn't eat much more than this. He knew Yuzu tried hard to make everyone happy and keep them healthy. "Don't worry. Just store them. Ya know how much Grimm likes yer cooking."

"Grimm-chan's coming over today?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she ate. "Since when?"

"He got done with 'is exams yesterday an' is in Karakura as of two hours 'go fer summer break. Consider all the leftovers in the fridge gone..."

Chocolate orbs looked up and blinked in confusion. Grimmjow? There? Oh god, he was going to have to bite himself hard enough that he drew blood in order to make sure he behaved and didn't try to rip of Grimmjow's face at sight.

The younger male Kurosaki couldn't exactly help the way he acted, after everything that he had 'been through' per say.

Yuzu smiled, perfectly happy in that thought. She finished her meal and grabbed her backpack. Once she got her lunch inside and slung it over her shoulder, she gave both of her brothers a kiss on the cheek. The girl waved at them both and took off. Shiro, on the other hand, yawned and dismissed it all. He had his coffee so he was fine. After he had finished, he gathered up everything and started to put it all back in place, leaving the dirty dishes in the sink for later.

"Ya don't wanna go out lookin' like that where we're goin' today, 'lil King, so I'd change if I were ya," Shiro stated simply.

"Um...onii..." Ichigo didn't want to protest, but he had something to say! "I don't have anything besides these...ugh...girly clothes to wear... so... yeah... Where are we going??"

Lips quirked into a smirk as the mug reached them. This mug was promptly set back down after another drink was taken from it. "We can change th' clothin' thin' if ya really don't wanna dress like that. But fer now... C'mon."

The eldest placed the now empty mug in the sink and headed to his room. He motioned for Ichigo to follow. Even though he probably had an inch or two on the kid, he figured that such a height difference wouldn't matter. Either way, he wasn't about to answer where they were going. Ichigo would figure it out soon enough, the eldest figured, and by then who knows...

Ichigo followed after his older half brother like a little puppy, right on his tail. Eyes scanned over the eldest Kurosaki, a few times more then he wanted them to as he lost himself in thoughts of his old life, his new life, everything basically.

Shiro huffed at this hovering, but didn't say a word. He opened the door to his room, shooting a scathing glare at his brother, basically saying that if he touches anything then the teen will wish for death. The eldest immediately went to his closet, side stepping over all the articles of clothing scattering the floor. Gold eyes scanned the different items that hung on the hangers. It would definitely have to be something that was a bit too small on him, Shiro figured.

"Loose the hood and shirt," he commanded without turning around.

The teen jumped a bit at the sudden command, but complied with his brother's demands. The jacket was discarded and dropped, as well as the shirt. Ichigo felt a bit...well to the very least awkward being half 

naked in front of his brother, half brother he reminded himself, and in his room of all places. Ichigo blinked in confusion, mentally pushing the odd feelings and thoughts away. He ended up shoving his hands in his pockets as he waited patiently.

"I'd say pants too, cause those thin's look like they kill, but I don't think I 'ave 'nythin' fer that," Shiro commented.

His eyes fell upon a white shirt, one that he hadn't worn in years. Shiro snagged the thing and tossed it at Ichigo over his shoulder. It wouldn't be too tight on the teen, but it would probably be more appropriate for what they were going to do and more comfortable. The only design was the black dragon on the back, but it didn't matter. It was still better than some band name in the front. He did wonder, though, how the hell Ichigo could wear those pants...

The strawberry blonde pulled the shirt over his head, smoothing it out around his torso.

"Thanks..." he mumbled about the shirt, hands shoving back into his pockets. Ichigo figured he would try to ask the question again. "Um... onii... will you tell me where we're going?"

"Ya will see," Shiro bit out, probably a bit harsher than what he wanted.

Without saying another word, he wandered out of his room. Shiro shut the door as soon as Ichigo was out of it and walked to the door. He slipped on his boots and yawned again. Walking out the door and onto the street, he waited for Ichigo to tag along. After all, this was for the teenager's benefit.

Ichigo was a little bit dazed he'd gotten anything out of Shiro at all, and found he could actually keep up and walk at Shirosaki's side with ease. There were words that Ichigo wanted to say, questions that itched to be asked, but the orange haired boy somehow managed to keep himself quiet.

The eldest did appreciate the silence re received. Even more so, he found it curious that Ichigo decided to walk beside instead of behind him. The thought made him smirk a bit, thinking that maybe Ichigo had a pair in his little dream world. Either way, the walk was long and uneventful. The day within itself wasn't bad, it was actually pretty mild out; this meant it wasn't all that hot and there was a slight cool breeze. Inwardly, though, Shiro didn't know what to expect and that tripped him up a little as they got closer to their destination. He had no idea why he had decided on this. It was another thing entirely how Ichigo saw it. Something inside Shiro just wanted his younger half brother not to get upset at him over it. He frowned as his stomach twisted on him, bidding it away as the cemetery came into view.

Chocolate eyes had been watching his feet as they walked, looking up occasionally as to not run into anybody or lose sight of which way they were going. Something inside Ichigo ticked the wrong way when he saw the cemetery. The orange haired teen stopped dead in his tracks.

"W-what are we d-doing here...?" he asked, though he wasn't stupid enough to not realize his mother was dead. This was the cemetery she was buried in. Still, the last thing Ichigo really wanted to see was his mother right now. However, deep inside he knew he felt otherwise. Chocolate brown eyes scanned his brother, mixed emotions fluttering inside the orbs of color.

"Figured that since ya kinda 'ave been 'sleep all this time that ya might wanna pay a visit," Shiro said, sounding more confident than what he was, and that pissed him off. "Though if ya don't want to..."

Ichigo stared for a long quiet moment, but his brown eyes went sad and he looked down. "Oh...I-I see..." he murmured a bit quietly. "N-no I want to...I'll...s-see her..."

"So go on then. I'll be at th shrine waitin' fer ya," the older of the two said, waving a hand as he continued to walk.

The younger brother just simply nodded his head and quietly headed off, looking for his mother's grave. As 'Kurosaki Masaki' came to his eyes, Ichigo felt his chest tighten up. The skinny teen slowly came to his knees in front of the grave, leaning on the tombstone.

"Mom..." he murmured quietly, closing his eyes tightly to fight back tears. Quiet thoughts drifted from his mind, and Ichigo just quietly hoped she could hear him either way.

Shiro stopped in his tracks a moment, casing a look over in the direction of where he knew his half brother was to be. It wasn't that he honestly disliked Masaki, it's just he always felt a little odd for him to stand at her tombstone. It always had and it always would be but that didn't mean he didn't have feelings for her. The woman treated him just like she was one of his own and raised him as such until her passing. No way could he honestly dislike someone for taking in and adopting another woman's child out of pure love. Shiro would be thankful for that and he did admire the woman. It was just simply the fact that Ichigo probably needed the time. If Shiro's instincts were right, then the kid would probably be terribly missing his mother. Perhaps he would appreciate it more than what he had in the past...

Ichigo had fought the urge but as he clung to his mothers tombstone. He gently wept, head buried against hard concrete. His whispers passed his lips as he kissed the stone.

"I wish you could be here... "I love you mom..." was the last thing he choked out before standing, brushing himself off, and drying his eyes. With a final look at the grave, Ichigo headed towards the shrine to meet back up with Shiro.

The eldest had been at the shrine, not realizing when he had arrived. Deep thinking usually did that, distracting, that is. Thus is why Shiro hated it so much. Upon arriving, he had sat on the steps. Resting his head back against the giant pole at the entrance, he nodded off. He wasn't sure how long Ichigo would take anyway and the weather was rather nice.

Chocolate orbs had blinked at his brothers sleeping form as he walked up the stairs quietly. With a small smile he sat down across from the eldest Kurosaki sibling; he decided upon letting him sleep. The warm weather was enjoyable, and Ichigo didn't really think the eldest had anything important to do since he had been kind enough to bring Ichigo here in the first place. With a day dreaming expression, Ichigo watched birds fly by.

One golden eye cracked open a few minutes later. Shiro really didn't say a word, just feigned sleep a little longer. He instead glanced over his younger half brother. The teen hadn't noticed this before, as he didn't really care, but Ichigo's eyebrows where pinched in a permanent scowl. Even though Shiro could see the light-heartedness through the chocolate orbs, the eyebrows were still slightly drawn together. It was something Shiro definitely knew wasn't there before...

"Ya ready to go back?" he asked, opening both eyes and blink a bit to get the sleep out of them.

Ichigo flinched a bit at the sudden break from his day dreaming and looked over, nodding at his half brother. "Yeah..." he replied, finding his voice a bit strained from crying, but at least he hadn't sobbed and let the makeup make it apparent that he had cried. Ichigo looked at his brothers eyes, finding his own eyes concentrate a bit. The golden orbs were, to say the least, beautiful. The orange haired teen had enjoyed when his eyes were hollow-like and distorted also, but these eyes were just as nice.

Shiro took slight notice of the pink lining Ichigo's eyes, but said nothing. He also noted the tone in the boy's voice and was satisfied. It would seem his assumptions were correct this time. A wide grin broke his face. "So 'nythin' ya wanna do? We got a few hours t'kill before Grimm shows face."

The younger teen's mind thought for a moment; what would he want to do around here? He replied finally, brushing his fingers through soft orange locks of hair."Well...I need cash, cause I need new clothes...other then that, it's whatever you want."

Standing and brushing himself off, Shiro gave a nod of approval. "I got th' ol' man's debit. Money ain't 'xactly an issue now, Ichigo. We can catch a bus or somethin' on the way down."

"Can we walk instead onii? It's such a nice day..." Ichigo asked as he felt the breeze on his skin.

Shiro clacked his tongue and held out his hand for Ichigo to take. It was to help the other teen up, of course. "We can a bit once we get there. I don't think ya wanna walk a distance it takes a car 'bout twenty minutes t'get to, do ya?"

The orange haired teen took his hand for help. "Ah, thanks." he murmured, looking up at the other. "I didn't realize it was that far, or I wouldn'a suggested us walking."

"Che... We live on th' outskirts of town... Didn't think ya where so messed up when it came t'directions, Ichi," Shiro smirked.

Ichigo held onto his brother's hand still, but gave a grunt in reply. "It's been a while, okay? I don't really remember my way 'round here anymore..."

"Nothin' looks remotely familiar, eh?"

"A little bit...but mostly..." he sighed. "I'm trying to get around like I did in my dream world thing...or so they said that's what it was...I got used to everything that was happening there...Including how to get around… Usually walked everywhere I went… When I was around to go places, that is.."

"I see," Shiro said, taking back his hand and sticking it in his pocket. He turned and walked down the stairs in the direction of the bus stop, which was all the way down the hill. "What was it like?"

Ichigo followed, catching up so he could talk with his brother. "It definitely wasn't anything like this place..." he replied, laughing a bit to himself as he realized just how different it was. "I was fifteen there, and I met a soul reaper girl named Rukia... She kinda crawled into my room I suppose you'd say.

"Anyway, this hollow thing...evil spirit that eats other spirits...was trying to kill Dad, Karin, and Yuzu so basically I asked the girl to turn me into a shinigami and she did..." he blinked. "A substitute anyways…"

"Shinigami, eh?" Shiro grinned, still walking downhill. "Kuchiki was one too? Sounds really noble o' ya t'do somethin' like that. I'm guessin', from yer reaction at th' hospital, that I ain't 'round at all?"

"Actually..." Ichigo looked over, raising a brow. "You were MY personal hollow, ya basically lived in my head and all you wanted was to take over my body and kill everyone I ever loved right in front of me. You were part of my sword, Zangetsu, or so you always told me when we fought."

"How did that happen?" Shiro said, making a mental note about Zangetsu for later.

"What do you mean, how did it happen?" he asked.

"Well ya said that ya were a substitute... Ain't that supposed t'mean that it wasn't permanent?" Shiro asked.

"Well I basically was still alive in my own human body, but I had this substitute soul candy thing that I ate and it shoved my soul out of the body, and put a substitute soul into it to make it look like I wasn't dead when I was out fighting hollows. My substitutes name was Kon actually, and he lived in the lion that Yuzu carries around all the time. He could talk and move around like moving animals in little kid's shows."

Shiro stopped, giving Ichigo an incredulous look. "Ya are shittin' me... I'm startin' t'think maybe the ol' man put somethin' in yer IV's."

Ichigo laughed a bit, shaking his head. "There's so much fuckin more Shiro, if you think all that's a trip."

He came to the bus stop, giggling a little. "Might haveta make ya tell me 'bout it all sometime. Can't deny I'm somewhat interested."

"Saying it all out loud makes me feel like I was having a superhero dream or something..." Ichigo cracked a rare smile at his half brother as he spoke.

"Sounds like it," Shiro agreed and smirked back at Ichigo, "though I think all 'lil boys wanna be a superhero. Especially 'lil wussy ones."

"I ain't a wussy, you fag!" Ichigo snapped back in defense, glaring at his brother.

"Fag?" he cackled a bit. "I ain't th' one wearin' make up, 'lil King. Or should I say, 'lil Queen?"

The orange haired teen went quiet in defeat, his face bright red as he knew he'd lost the little spar.

Shiro chuckled a little. He wanted to taunt the other more. Something about it just made something inside him spark and flare. He didn't know what it was, only that it occurred during the few moments that Ichigo's temper would flare. Perhaps it was just the fact it was something new from Ichigo and he didn't know what to expect. Whatever it was, as much as he wanted to see more of it, there were questions drifting off in the back of his mind that he wanted answered. Unfortunately, the person that could answer them probably wouldn't This meant his only option was to wait and observe.

Golden eyes looked away and saw the bus coming up. "There it is..."

Ichigo huffed and looked in the direction his brother was looking. "Ah..." was all he mused in reply.

As the bus reached the stop, Shiro dug around in his back pocket once more. He took out the amount he would need as well as Ichigo. Shiro looked back at the irritated chocolate orbs with a big grin. The eldest Kurosaki held out his hand with the money in it.

Ichigo's face lightened a bit and he took the money. "Thank you Shiro..." he grumbled, finding himself too irritated to call his brother 'onii' in respect.

"Yeah yeah. Let's go," Shiro said, ruffling orange strands before darting into the bus.

Ichigo paid the money and followed, jabbing his brother a bit in the arm. He was not amused by the ruffling of his hair.

Shiro only giggled and took his usual place when he rode a bus, the back. Honestly, he had thought that having to spend hours with his younger half brother would be shitty. If he couldn't stand being around the 

teen when he was unconscious, then it should have been worse. Yet, Shiro mused, if his brother was going to act like this, then he might have some fun yet.

The younger teen had sat next to him, trying to fix his hair. Of course the orange locks didn't want to play nice so he was stuck with pretty messed bed head. It looked okay, but Ichigo was still not pleased by it.

"Che. Ya ain't got nothin' t'worry 'bout. We both inherited th' ol' man's spiky hair. Nothin' ya try t'do with it will work."

A huff escaped the boy's lips and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat. "Dammit..." was all he grumbled.

A white pierced eyebrow rose at the teen's antics. It was all so very amusing, to say the least. A yawn escaped from his mouth and he didn't even bother stifling it. Instead Shiro also leaned back against the seat, eyelashes closing over gold. It would be a few minutes yet. This also meant that there would be a few minutes to catch another cat nap.

Ichigo's eyes quietly looked over as his brother slept, and the teen really did enjoy watching his elder brother sleep. There wasn't that cocky, shit eating grin on his albino face when he slept, and his face looked a bit innocent, just a bit though. Ichigo smiled a bit to himself, quietly looking out the window of the bus.

Shiro only opened his eyes again a few moments later, muttering right before drifting off completely. "Five stops, Ichi. Wake me up five stops from now."

Tanned cheeks blushed a little at being called 'Ichi' but nodded his head in response, mainly to himself. The orange haired boy turned sideways in his seat, sitting Indian style as he watched the other sleep, counting the stops off in his head.

Ichigo noted a few school girls giggling and speaking as they looked at the siblings, and it just made the strawberry blonde roll his eyes a bit. 'Girls..' he thought to himself with a flat mental sigh.

At the fifth stop Ichigo stood, gently shaking Shiro's shoulder. "Shiro...Shiro-onii, get up."

"Aight aight 'lready..." Shiro groaned, eyes opening. He really didn't want to get up, but whatever. The eldest yawned and stretched as he got up, still a bit disoriented and groggy. Naps were so good, but damn if he didn't hate the aftereffects of them...

The teen giggled a bit at Shiro's cat like actions, smiling to himself as he hopped off the bus, looking back for his older half brother to follow in suit. "We can go to a park or somethin' where you can sleep longer if you want.."

"Nah," the brother stated, shaking the last bit of it off. "Ya don't want others t'keep thinkin' ya are a girly boy, right?"

"Not really..." he frowned. "The clothes are kinda nice...but I'm not really girly..." he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Just something not as tight would be nice.."

Shiro smirked. "I was goin' t'say... The only thin' ya are wearin' is the pants, 'lil King. Shirt's mine."

Ichigo stuck out his tongue in response. "I know I'm wearin yer shirt." he looked it himself over. "Why do you call me King? Ya know it's weird, you threw me off because in the dream place you called me king too, but for more obvious reasons."

The eldest frowned at that. He turned and started walking off in the direction of the mall. "Maybe some thin's just stick..."

The other teen blinked and followed after him. "You didn't answer why you call me king here..." he frowned a bit.

"I don't think ya want me t'aswer that one."

"Well, now I really wanna know!" he insisted

Shiro growled in irritation. "Ya really 'lways got yer way. It didn't matter the reason, ya just did. Like a king. Some times I honestly think that ya believed the rest o' us just as yer damned subjects or somethin'. I got pissed off one night an' started callin' ya King. When I finally got a few inches on ya, it changed to 'lil King. That's all there fuckin' is to it. Happy?"

Ichigo quietly looked away. "O-oh, uh..." he felt dumbfounded by this. "Not happy really, naw. Kinda pissed I always got my way without reason, no one should be aloud to have that."

"I 'gree," Shiro replied. A dark look crept onto his features as he kept walking forward.

Ichigo was silent the rest of the walk, feeling that his elder brother was irritated, the last thing he had wanted him to be when they were together. " S'rry I didn't just let it be onii..." he apologized gently.

The voice shook Shiro from his thoughts. He stopped and turned around. Golden eyes locked onto chocolate in a cocky manner. A black finger nailed digit jabbed Ichigo's chest, eyes shining playfully as a smirk appeared on slightly paler lips. "What're ya 'plogizin' for? Seems like t'me that ya ain't thinkin' like that for right now. 'Parently supposed t'also be helpin' ya remember these thin's right? No reason t'say dumb shit like that if all ya really wanna do is know."

"If that makes any sense," he added in an afterthought.

"A-ah..." Ichigo rubbed his chest where he was poked, blinking at his older brother. "O-okay then...I have a lot of friggin questions then, just don't get all emo on me and stare off into space." he squawked. "Makes me think yer mad at me fer what I said."

"Emo, ya say?" Shiro giggled. "I think ya are closer to bein' that than I am, 'lil brother."

"Am not!" he piped in response, blushing. "I see nothing emo about myself!"

"Riiiiiiight," the older brother grinned, poking Ichigo's cheek as they came closer to the mall.

Ichigo squeaked and batted his finger away, glaring gently at him.

Shiro just continued on giggling, his shoulders rising and falling. He stopped walking and laughing as soon as they both got inside. The eldest Kurosaki shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Ichigo a crooked grin. "Lead th' way."

The strawberry blonde teen huffed and shoved hands in his pockets. He was finding himself a bit irritated by the forever cocky grin on his older half brothers face. A glint of slight evil caught in Ichigo's eyes as he got a little idea.

"Yes onii-chan!" he giggled gayly, wrapping his arm around Shiro's, pulling him off deeper into the building.

"Hey!" Shiro growled as he was clung to and pulled off.

Ichigo smirked coyly at Shiro, winking as he pulled him off into a random store, chocolate brown eyes scanning around at the clothes.

Shiro grumbled. This was not cool. Sure, he'd be somewhat civil to the kid, but physical contact? There was a bubble there that only Shiro himself could break. Golden eyes were glowering, seeming to almost to darken in the light of the current story that Ichigo yanked him into. He was too busy trying to pry the teen off of him than look at clothes.

"Hmph." was all Ichigo sounded, letting go of Shiro. "Every time you embarrass me, I'll cling to you." he warned, poking the lighter skinned boy's cheek. He smiled cheekily before actually picking up clothes, holding them against his torso to see how they would look. Ichigo could tell Shiro was not keen on physical contact, which was an easy target for the teen when he wanted to get back at his brother for something.

The other teen only seethed. His dark glare only intensified. Shiro's mind was already plotting several ways to get back at his younger half brother...

Ichigo didn't seem to notice as he grabbed clothes, most of them drastically less form fitting then his own clothing. A few pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, and one hoodie hung from the boy's arms by the time he got done going through the entire store. With a slight smile Ichigo looked back at Shiro, eyes sparkling. "I'm done" he said in a sing song like voice, fully happy he had irritated Shiro so.

As it was amusing for Shiro when Ichigo got annoyed, the same rule was applying now for Ichigo. Though most of the time he would rather his older brother not be upset with him.

"C'mon then fairy-boy," the other teen muttered, sulking off to the counter.

The other teen bounced along happily behind him, slightly stifling a giggle.

Oh how Shiro wanted to turn around and belt Ichigo across the jaw. When they got out, he might still do that. For now though, the white-haired teen didn't want to be thrown out. Instead he handed the cashier the debit card, glaring at Ichigo to put the clothes on the counter.

Ichigo did so, smiling cutely at his onii as he did so. If this was how riled up his brother was going to get over him clinging to his arm, oh Ichigo couldn't even imagine what he'd do if Ichigo kissed him on the cheek or hugged him.

Scanning everything, the cashier told the boys the amount for the articles of clothing. Shiro just dismissed it and waved off at her to use the card, inputting the right number sequence as instructed. As the card went through, the woman bagged up everything and handed it to Ichigo. She handed Shiro the receipt. Wordlessly, the older brother spun around on his heel and took off for the store exit.

"Hey relax drama queen, all I did was hold your arm, not like I tried to fuck you." Ichigo squawked at his elder half brother as he caught up to the boy. The strawberry teen had seen people get a little ticked, but really sometimes there was over the edge, and Shiro really didn't need to be so pissed off.

"Like I'd let ya get 'way with that one, 'lil King," Shiro scoffed. "Ain't happenin', so sorry t'upset yer wet fantasies. Where else do ya need t'go?"

A blush crossed the teens face at the blunt words and he squeaked a bit. "No where else really, this is fine for now. It'll last me a while."

Shiro pulled out his cell phone. He checked the time and mentally swore. They had only wasted maybe three hours in total. Grimm wouldn't be there for another two hours. The guy had just sent a text message about an early birthday gift, so Shiro guessed it would be closer to two and a half hours. He ran his black fingernails through white strands with a slight growl.

"Still got a bit o' time t'kill..."

A finger went to the teens lips in thought. "Why don't we do something you wanna do? I mean, today's been all about me practically..." he frowned. "Makes me feel like I'm a spoiled little bitch."

"I ain't got 'nywhere t'be, Ichigo," Shiro said simply. "Ain't like I got a hoarde o' friends like ya do."

Friends...the word clicked in Ichigo's mind. "I...I really do have a lot of friends..." he mumbled to himself, thinking all of them over. His face quickly went into a frown, how was he supposed to know if all his friends in his dreams were his friends here? "Um...I kinda...don't know if all the people I think are my friends, ARE my friends..." he said, feeling very stupid by saying that.

"Ya 'lways hung out the most with Kuchiki, Abarai, Sado, Ishida, Arisawa, princess, an' them... I think the only one I got somewhat 'long with was that genius kid with the white hair. 'is cousin has nice tits, though," Shiro giggled at the thought.

Ichigo blinked and swatted Shiro lightly for the last comment. "Perv." he said simply, thinking all the friends over. "Rukia..and Renji are here...?" He guessed Shiro was giggling about Matsumoto's boobs though, since the chick did have a chest the size of two heads. Hitsugaya was most likely the white haired guy, it made sense that he would be anyways.

"Does Renji have a bunch of tattoos on his body?" he asked, looking at his brother curiously.

"How am I supposed t'know? I've never seen th' guy naked or 'nythin' like that," Shiro shrugged, rubbing his head. "They ain't in view though, or that one Kuchiki would probably hand his ass t'him or somethin'."

A snicker left the boys lips at that, and he hummed in response. Renji with no tribal tattoos… That was bound to be interesting. What next, Rukia a blonde? Ichigo twitched at the thought, shaking his head a bit. That would just look bad.

"Though..." Shiro said as if thinking. "He does have odd eyebrows."

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "yes! I'm not odd in the head!!" he paused for a moment, blinking. "Does Grimmjow have teal hair, by any chance? And... act like a cat?"

With that Shiro burst into a fit of giggles. He walked over and sat down next to the fountain. Seriously, he would need it to contain his laughter at that one.

"W-what!?" Ichigo squeaked, blushing. "I'm just asking!! That's how he was in the other place...and he always had this teal eye shadow to match his eyes...'r something. He was sixth espada..."

"He'd kill ya if he heard ya say that," Shiro smirked, finally calming a bit. "They're tattoos."

"Hm, I'm used to him wanting to kill me." the red head mumbled in reply, sitting with a sigh. "It's odd not having that stupid giggle and mocking voice in my head anymore..." it was almost lonely, even though Shiro was technically right next to him, he'd never have Shirosaki back.

Shiro clacked his tongue and flicked Ichigo in the forehead. "Ya can ask Grimm 'bout 'is hair when he comes over. It's a really funny story."

Ichigo rubbed his forehead, frowning a bit. "Hm, I'll remember ta ask him."

"As fer missin' that mockin' tone," he grin widely, "I can always do that fer ya whenever ya want and whenever ya don't want, Ichi."

"Oh gee, that's so..." he furrowed his brows. "Kind of you, really..." he smiled a bit. "But nah, I guess besides the small times where he actually tried to cheer me up, all Shirosaki did was tell me how weak and pathetic I was, and how I should have let him out to fight, cause then I woulda won..." Ichigo shrugged gently. "I miss him, but in a way I'm glad he's gone. Guess I jus' got used to him being around."

Shiro still grinned. He got up though, locating the closest Starbucks. Motioning for Ichigo to follow, he needed more caffeine apparently.

Ichigo blinked and followed after his brother, silently thinking to himself. There were times when Shirosaki had really gotten to him though, mockingly purring that he never hated Ichigo, but really loved him so much that he was bitter to the boy over it. That sounded ridiculous though, as Ichigo listened to it play over in his mind. The quote sounded so much kinder coming out of hollow lips in the dead of night.

The older brother noticed the far-off look in the chocolate gaze. He waved his hand in front of Ichigo's face as they waited in line to order. When no response was received, a smirk appeared on slightly paler lips. There had been something that always made Ichigo jump and squeal like a girl. Shiro didn't know what the effect would be now, but it couldn't hurt to try, now could it?

He slid beside Ichigo and leaned forward and hissed in a sing-song voice. "Ichi-chan..."

The younger boy's body jolted and he squealed, body giving a little shiver of surprise as he spun around to directly face his brother. The strawberry's face was as red as a strawberry cloud get, and he clung to himself with another little squeak. The boy hadn't expected the sudden noise, and it had scared him shitless. "Yo-you dick!!" he cried.

A face-splitting grin made it's way onto Shiro's face. "Never ceases to surprise me how brainless ya are, Ichigo."

A little shove was given to Shiro, and Ichigo glared away from his brother. He was trying to calm himself down from the random attack. It had surprised him, and for a split second he had thought it was Shirosaki, not Shiro.

"Yare yare... Ya want somethin' or not?"

Ichigo blinked and looked. "Uh...Caramel frappachino..." he replied finally.

"Funny," Shiro stated simply, ordering what Ichigo wanted as well as a caramel macchiato for himself.

Ichigo stared off into space again, finding he had a knack for doing that. Ichigo wondered silently if everyone from his little dream world was incorporated into this life, but mostly Ichigo was curious of Zangetsu. Would the man be around, or was he an entirely made up thing of Ichigo's imagination? If that was the case, the strawberry teen decided he would draw him a lot, since the sword spirit and himself had gotten a good amount closer.

With an exasperated sigh, and after paying, Shiro took a hold of Ichigo's arm. The kid was seriously spacing out a bit much for his likes. This place was crowded enough already and that always made Shiro a tad edgy. He never had been one for crowds, exception only during concerts. Yanking the orange-haired teen into the corner along with him, he kept an ear open for their order number. Shiro doubted that Ichigo would know...

The teen squeaked and obediently followed as he was pulled along, eyes blinking in confusion at his brother's hand, and then his brothers face. "E-eh...sorry...jus' got a lot on my mind..."

"I can tell," Shiro replied, giving the teen's arm a bit of a squeeze, "but careful in public, 'lil King. Don't want to haveta chase ya down."

A small blush crossed Ichigo's cheeks, mostly from embarrassment. "Mk...sorry..." he found himself annoyed with himself, why the hell was he apologizing so much!? A small ringing noise flooded Ichigo's ears, and he looked around for the source of the repetitive noise. "Uhm...Shiro your cellphone is ringing." he stated.

"Ah, so it is," Shiro said, digging it out and opening it. He also slammed the receipt in Ichigo's hand before leaving the store. "That's our number, Ichigo. Bring 'em out once it's called!"

"A-ack!" Ichigo barely had any free hand at all ,but nodded. "Kay!" The boy practically buried himself against the corner, fully freaked by the looks old perverts were giving him. When the number was called Ichigo hopped over and got the drinks, exiting the Starbucks, but of coarse not before someone decided to give his ass a firm squeeze. A loud yelp escaped Ichigo's lips and he spun around, finding no one there. 'Damn fuckin' perverts...' he thought to himself, face still a bright red as he found his brother.

Shiro was still chatting away, a look of irritation on his face. Whenever the foreigner Jaegerjaques actually bothered to call, it was always slightly irritating. Friends they might be, but that didn't mean there were times that Shiro wished that he could punch that French punk. This was only enhanced when the retarded started to speak in his native language, which Shiro only knew bits and pieces of. Spanish and English were his best... He caught sight of Ichigo and hung up, not caring if Grimm was still talking or not.

"Ya got 'em then?"

Ichigo nodded. "Got molested, but got the coffee." he hummed, handing over Shiro's. His face still held a light pink, but wasn't as bad as when he'd first been fondled. The orange haired boy blinked. "Um...you kinda just bluntly hung up on the person on the other line..."

"Molested, eh?" Shiro snickered, taking his drink also pulling Ichigo down to sit. "It was just Grimm. He wants to eat lunch at our home, so he'll be there in an hour."

A small squeak left the boys lips when he was pulled down, and he looked over. "A-ah...okay. Shouldn't we be going soon then?" he asked, subconsciously crossing one leg over the other as he sipped on his 

drink. With a small hum Ichigo removed the lid, starting at the whipped cream, one of his favorite parts about the tasty coffee.

"Soon," the other teen nodded, taking a drink. "The bastard knows where the key is, so it ain't like he can't get in on 'is own."

"Ah." Was Ichigo's only reply; he licked whipped cream off his fingers, giving that sexy little stare off into space. When he daydreamed it was one of the very few times he actually didn't look like he was scowling at anything.

Golden eyes scanned his younger brother again. Shiro was mentally wondering if Ichigo used to daydream this much. Something about it irked Shiro off. He couldn't put his finger on it as he drank a bit more of his own sweet coffee. The eldest just wanted to smack the look off of Ichigo's face. With that thought surfacing, Shiro almost did, reaching forward, but catching himself mid-swing.

A small suckling noise left Ichigo's mouth as he sucked whipped cream off his index finger, the tanned digit staying in his mouth as his lips curved into a little smile, eyes softening at his thoughts. No more horrible pain, no more hollows or anything he had to fight or thought might kill him! Now he just had to deal with usual people, but that was okay! At least it meant nothing that would basically torture and eat his soul.

Shiro scowled, not liking that Ichigo hadn't even noticed. Was he invisible or something? With a growl, he retracted his hand. The white-haired teenager got to his feet and started walking back towards the entrance that they had both come from. He paused at a distance, vaguely wondering if Ichigo would notice this time...

Ichigo's eyes blinked into concentration and he jumped up, following after his brother. "Hey you jerk ,ya coulda said somethin!" he piped, flicking the elder Kurosaki in the arm.

Golden eyes held no trace of emotion or anything. Shiro hadn't even flinched at the flick. He merely took another sip of his coffee and turned. His footsteps were heavy and thunked as he continued to make his way out of the mall. Grimm had better have brought something good, like a new CD or something. Shiro wasn't sure anything less would do from the guy. The older teen was also fairly sure that Ichigo was starting to rub off on him or something... He was thinking too much for his liking and it hadn't really been a full twenty-four hours yet.

The teen made sure he was fully on guard now, quietly walking next to his brother without questioning. He seemed to have ticked the elder Kurosaki off, and that called for silence. Ichigo hadn't even done it, but he was smart enough to realize that nagging on about the subject of Shirosaki being pissed off was not the right thing to do at a time when he was slightly agitated.

It had been a silent trip back. Once back at the bus stop, the teens had to wait another twenty minutes before the bus finally made it to their stop. Apparently they had just missed the previous one. The ride had also been taken in silence, though Shiro's state had cooled down slightly. Instead he just didn't feel like initiating any conversation. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really care.

After another fifty minutes, half an hour bus hopping and then twenty walking, they reached home. Shiro had never been so relieved to see that yellow house in his life. At least, he couldn't recall the last time he felt something just ease him so much. Whatever the case, Shiro stuck the keys in the door, twisted them and then the knob. His golden eyes caught sight of a larger set of boots, far more worn out than his were. This could only have meant one thing: Grimm was waiting for them and probably had finished eating a 

few minutes ago. Shiro kicked off his boots.

"Go on ahead, 'lil King," he yawned.

Ichigo tiredly kicked off his shoes, making his way towards the stairs, stopping mid-step as he glanced in the kitchen. "Grimm...?" he asked himself more then Grimmjow. It had been a while since he'd last seen the teal haired man in this world he imagined, since it had been six months since he'd seen anyone! "Grimmjow??"

Electric blue eyes lazily made contact with shocked chocolate ones. There were teal tattoos, as Shiro had stated earlier and Grimmjow would sucker punch prick that said otherwise, under his eyes. His expression was bored, but he ran a hand through part of his teal-blue hair. There was no style to it today; the stands fell just over those eyes. Grimmjow was wearing a pair of jeans with rips and tears all over them, an open white blouse barely covering his chest. There was a chain around his neck, but other than that, a jacket hung on the chair he had taken upon himself to sit at.

There was an empty plate on the table, smears of syrup making it clear he had eaten the rest. Grimmjow freaking loved how the youngest Kurosaki cooked. He'd eat her stuff any time. Underneath his chair was a box with holes in it. Grimmjow saluted at Ichigo in greeting, a smirk growing on his face. "Berry-kun. Heard you were out of the hospital."

Ichigo suppressed a blush as he looked Grimmjow over; he looked like a total badass. Grimmjow had always looked like a badass, even in the dream world too. It was odd seeing him without the broken arrancar mask on the side of his face though, but he looked good in any case without it.

"A-ah...yeah..." he smiled a bit, leaning against the frame of the opening in the kitchen. "H-how have you been Grimm? Haven't seen you in forever..."

"So the Berry-kun speaks, huh? Does that mean you finally accept my offers?" Grimm chuckled darkly.

"Offers...?" Ichigo asked in confusion.

"Grimm shut yer ass," Shiro said, finally walking into the room.

"Tch. Ruining my fun, White..." Grimmjow grinned, but still looked at Ichigo. "Big brothers are such a pain, right?"

Ichigo smirked evilly, glomping onto Shiro. "Not at all! I love Onii-sama" he squeaked cutely.

"Ichi..." Shiro growled in warning.

Grimmjow started laughing. He couldn't take his eyes off of that. The kid must have been on crack or something. Berry-kun hadn't ever tried to do that to his older brother before, though he had followed White around like a shadow. "Must've hit your orange-head hard!"

Ichigo slowly slunk off his brother, taking a seat near Grimmjow. "Sorry onii, I couldn't resist the urge to jump you." he grinned ear to ear at the older half sibling, before stretching with a bit of a yawn.

The teal-hair man snorted, perverted thoughts racing through his mind. His arm made its way across the back of Ichigo's chair. Grimm leaned towards Ichigo a bit, his smirk never faltering. "So Berry-kun wants to jump his brother... Sure you wouldn't rather I jump you, kid? I'd be helluva lot more fun."

A bright blush crept over Ichigo's face as his eyes went wide. "I-I u-uh..." Ichigo felt his eyes flutter a bit at the closeness of their faces, finding that the smirk suited Grimmjow the best out of anyone. The orange haired teen was completely tongue tied, having never been in this type of situation to his recollection.

The eldest Kurosaki punched Grimmjow in the back of the head. "Cut it out, ya bastard. Kid don't fuckin' remember ya right. So cut this shit out."

"Seriously ruining my fun. What the fuck is up your ass?" Grimmjow complained, rubbing his head.

"Che..." Shiro replied, taking a seat across from the other two.

Ichigo ran fingers through his hair, thankful of his personal space being given back to him. The teen went quiet, eyes scanning Grimmjow every few moments.

Grimmjow grumbled at his friend. White wasn't his first choice, but they'd been through so much shit together, now he was his only option. Of course, there had been Shuuhei as well, but the guy wouldn't be back for another week. White and Grimm tolerated each other and while there was trust, they still got on each other's nerves. Grimmjow vaguely recalled the event that caused this. Such wonderful a wonderful memory it was; even the suspension that he and his friend had gotten made all the dumbasses they'd been up worthwhile. Grimmjow couldn't remember a time when White didn't have his back and he didn't have the Kurosaki's.

"Bastard," the teal-haired gay hissed. "You're lucky that your birthday is in two days or else I'd kick your ass..."

"C'mon then," Shiro taunted. "I don't care. I'll beat ya like every single fuckin' time ya try! What're ya hear fer 'nyway?"

"Bitch... Remember I told you a few weeks ago Pantera had her litter finally, right?"

Ichigo's eyes lit up a bit at the mention of kittens. Ever since he was little, the orange haired teen had always wanted a kitten, but Masaki and Isshin always insisted he wasn't responsible enough to take care of a cat or a dog, very much less a kitten. Ichigo hadn't really been much part of the conversation, and he WAS really tired...The boy got up. "I'll be upstairs sleeping if anyone needs me" he called as he swayed out of the kitchen, grabbing all the bags of clothing that he'd bought that day.

Upon arriving in his room Ichigo dropped everything, along with himself onto his bed, a slight groan leaving his mouth as something poked at his back. Shoving the bags off his bed Ichigo curled up on his side, eyes fluttering a bit as he slipped into a nice day dream.

Grimmjow looked up and watched the teen leave. "Heh... I wasn't done. Impatient brat."

"Che. Yeah," Shiro yawned.

"It'll have to wait until he comes back, White."

"That's fine, I guess," the eldest said.

"If your brother is finally goddamn awake," Grimmjow inquired, "then your meeting with that woman went well?"

Shiro frowned. A dark look passed over his eyes. "No. I didn't."

"Then?"

"That ol' bat said she couldn't do it," Shiro went on to explain. "Th' bitch freakin' made me pay fer the answers too… Said somethin' 'bout how it cannot be done, but that I should be patient. Somethin' good would come out of it an' th' bat left it at that. Che... Bet she was a fraud."

Grimmjow leaned back in his chair. He knew very well what the eldest Kurosaki was getting at. After all, Jaegerjaques was the one that told him. The teal-haired man had heard about this weird place that would grant wishes for a price. He had travelled there to check it out, but saw nothing. Grimm had relayed the message, but really hadn't expected anything and told Shiro not to even bother. Lo and behold, White didn't listen to him at all. He had showed up at his flat and demanded that Grimm show him the way.

And the man had too. Once again, there wasn't anything at the address that he had been given. Shiro, saying that Grimmjow was an idiot if he couldn't see that building right there, went on ahead inside the empty lot. Grimmjow sneered at the teenager and told him to piss off and find his own way back. He snorted and left. However, when White had come back later that night... He didn't say a word, only that he would come back another day. Grimmjow had just left it at that.

"Probably," he agreed, still curious as to what really happened.

* * *

The orange haired teen hadn't taken long to fall asleep, slipping deep into a dream. Probably from being so startled by the change, making his body tired out. Something, just one little thing was poking at his brain though. It was as if the dream world was beckoning him back to it, into another deep sleep. But no, it wasn't a voice that he wanted to hear, just his hollow's wide grin, hands scraping closer and closer to his body. "C'mon king..." he purred, eyes spinning like turn tables. "C'mon back t' me..." his voice was like nails on a chalk board, in a sing song fashion. Ichigo tried and tried to pull away from albino hands gripping hard around him, practically crushing his ribcage, the cackling distorted laughter growing louder and louder in his ears, ringing on.

With a jolt the strawberry woke, sweat dripping down his forehead. Small pants left his lips, chocolate brown eyes wide as dinner plates. "W-wh..." he found his voice hoarse, and strangely enough his ribcage hurt. Just coincidence he decided quickly, and stood with a jolt of energy. The room just glowered with bad vibes, making the orange haired teen cautiously opening the door, stepping out, and closing it again with silence. He hadn't been keen on dreaming much at all, and what he did dream he could never really remember. But this dream stuck, and it stuck hard...The laughter still rung in his ears, loud and clear.

Grimmjow wasn't a patient guy and was done waiting on the kid to get back. Grumbling about prissy kids wanting to organize everything just right, he got up from the table; Shiro just waved him off, obviously mind elsewhere. Blue eyes rolled as he hiked up the stairs. He rounded the corner and saw Ichigo against his door.

"Hey kid, you all right?" he asked curtly.

A loud noise of surprise and a stumble came from the boy, who was still gently panting. "I-I..." his eyes were wide still, much like a deer in headlights. A small noise of amusement filled his mind, making the orange haired teen give a small tremble at the chilling chuckle. "I-I'm fine..." he choked out as calmly as he could, eyes averting teal.

"Oh really..." Grimmjow said with a skeptical tone. "Whatever. None of my business... Get your ass on downstairs. Can't start without you."

Ichigo gave himself a firm shake and blinked at Grimmjow. "Start...?" he asked curiously, walking closer to the teal haired man.

"Obviously I couldn't walk in here and have shit to welcome you back by," Grimm rolled his eyes, heading back downstairs.

"Isshin would have my head," he commented as if it would explain everything.

A small snicker left the boys lips at the comment and he smiled, giving Grimm a little hug from behind. "Thanks...y'know, for wanting to see me, and not being a total dick..." he blinked. "Seems like Shiro's only happy I'm awake cause he doesn't have to watch me lay in a bed anymore."

"Heh..." the man smirked, twisting around and pinning Ichigo to the wall. "Don't talk shit about White, Berry-kun. I'd put your mouth to better uses."

Ichigo's eyes widened a bit, his face getting a bright blush as he was pressed against the wall. "I um..." he shyly looked away. "R-right. I'm glad he's at least tolerating me being around though..." he murmured, mostly to himself more then Grimmjow.

"Surprises me to, brat," Grimmjow agreed, placing his hand on the back of Ichigo's neck. "Now let's go."

With that said, Grimmjow took Ichigo almost by force down the stairs and over back to the table. The box underneath his chair was starting to move on it's own when they got back. Shiro just sat there, his elbow resting on the table and chin in his palm. It was one of those rare moments that he wasn't really aware of what was going on.

Ichigo had pulled out of Grimmjow's grip easily, giving the man a little glare, his cheeks still a bit flushed. Chocolate brown eyes fluttered in confusion at the box moving around, and sat down, figuring it was better not to ask questions. The orange haired teen crossed one leg over the other, eyes scanning his brother for a slight moment before looking away.

"Hey White," Grimmjow grunted out.

"Eh?" Shiro said, blinking twice.

"Stop fucking daydreaming... Getting as bad as the kid. You want this gift or not? Both of you... Jesus... Feels like I'm dealing with halfwits."

"Yeah but together we make a whole wit, which is more then you can say for yourself." Ichigo piped in a slightly distracted tone, eyes still on the box. He didn't care about getting scolded for asking a question. "What's in the box?" he asked curiously, big brown eyes showing just how much he wanted to know.

Shiro giggled at the insult. "Touché, 'lil King."

Grimmjow gave a hard glare at them both. Swearing under his breath, he pulled the box from under his chair with extreme care. Setting it on the table delicately, he popped the top. Two fuzzy heads peered over the edge; one was pure black and the other gray.

"Pantera had her litter, remember?" Grimmjow scoffed. "Figured you'd need company, since you can finally move out, White and get your ass in the university with me, like you shoulda been. Then I figured the brat over there could have one too. I can't keep the damned things."

Ichigo's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, a small squeal of happiness leaving his lips. "O-oh my gosh thank you Grimmjow!!" he squeaked, jumping up and giving the taller man a big tight hug. He'd always wanted a kitten, and they were so cute!!

"Yeah yeah..." Grimmjow said, pushing the kid off him. "Don't get all girly on me, Berry-kun."

"Fuckin' kiddin' me..." Shiro said, glaring hard at the two kittens. He always knew that Grimmjow had a few screws loose, besides the fact that he wanted to teach history... Now this only proved it, as Shiro couldn't believe that his old man would agree to something like this. However, it didn't seem he really had a say, since that black one crawled out and made it's way over to the eldest. Shiro still glared hard at the thing.

The orange haired teen carefully picked up the grey kitten, cradling the small animal like it was his own child. "Aww, you're so cute..." he cooed to the little kitten, nuzzling it's little grey head with care. "I think I'll name you Hichi..." he decided, seeing as the hollow always had a grey-ish white tint to himself, and the kitten seemed to glow, like his hollow had.

"Poor girl, being called that," Grimm laughed, giving the grey kitten a scratch under her chin.

"Che..." Shiro muttered.

"It was my hollow's name." Ichigo said simply, knowing Shiro would understand if he had half a brain to remember their conversation about his dream world.

"Hollow?" the man asked, looking over at Shiro for an answer.

The eldest teen simply shrugged. "Whatever. I'm goin' ta m'room..."

Shiro pushed himself from the table to stand. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he turned on his heel and made his way to his room. His mind was heavy and personally he didn't feel like being around people. Luck wasn't really on his side though, as the black kitten hopped off the table to the chair, then onto the floor where it trailed off after him. She had apparently already taken a liking to the teenager. He stopped and looked down at the black ball of fur, glaring at it more. Grimmjow only laughed at this.

"Mm..." was Ichigo's only little mumble as he watched his older half brother walk off, eyes watching until he was out of sight. The small kitten in Ichigo's arms mewled and pawed at his chest, big eyes looking curiously up at the carrot top. "Hm...?" Ichigo looked down, and smiled gently at the small feline, nuzzling her head with his index finger softly.

"Tch. Your brother's an ass, Berry-kun," Grimmjow snorted. "Didn't even say thank you... What the hell is a hollow anyway?"

"Onii doesn't seem like the type to say thank you ever..." Ichigo replied dryly, holding the kitten up with a giggle.

"I'd shut your mouth, brat. Guy hardly ever fucking left your side and went out to figure out if there was any fucking way of bringing your ass back to the land of the living. Tch... I wouldn't have done shit if I were him. I woulda left this shitty house the moment I graduated..."

"He really..." Ichigo paused, looking away. "He really never left...? Then why..." he put a finger to his lips as the small kitten nuzzled against his lips. Maybe he'd been looking at this hole thing all wrong. Everyone so far seemed to act the way they did in the dream world, and maybe that was why he had thought Shiro to be nothing more then an asshole. "He does care...a-alot..." all the small gestures, all the time they'd spent together already, it made sense. It was Shiro's way of showing he was happy that Ichigo was back, the orange haired boy got it! That WAS Shiro being kind!

"Only been watching your asses ever since your mother died," Grimm scoffed. "Maybe he cares. Maybe he doesn't. I don't know. I'm just saying watch your mouth. You've always been the ungrateful one. You don't think at all. Fuck... Bet you don't even know you're -half- brother at all, do you?"

"I might have...at one time but..." Ichigo looked away, feeling a bit frustrated as he tried to recall anything. "I-I have no recollection of my life...a-at all before the accident...And questions seem to just irritate him to no end...a-and when we are together he doesn't talk much...not about himself anyways..." A tanned index finger went to the teens lips as he thought, giving a small grunt of frustration.

"Whatever," the man grunted, standing and walking over to the fridge. He needed a drink. "Half... Berry-kun. Half. Does that tell you something, or are you really a halfwit?"

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "All it tells me is my mother or father had a lover previous to their marriage and had a kid..." he replied. "Is it...supposed to tell me more?"

"Think about it. You should be able to at least remember which parent you both share," Grimm said, taking out a soda and slamming the door.

Ichigo twitched a bit, and thought quietly. "My...uhm..." It really could have been either one. With a close of his eyes Ichigo thought hard, chewing his bottom lip. "Our dad...?"

"Grats."

Ichigo slouched a bit against the table, looking at Grimmjow. "So we share the same dad...what's that got to do with anything...? Wait..."Ichigo paused, thinking for a moment. "Is Shiro bitter over my dad leaving his mom or something...?"

Grimmjow popped the top and took a drink. "Wrong. It's the other way around. Not clear on the details, cause White usually gives me a bloody nose if I talk about it too damned much. Pretty much your dear brother got ditched on his mother's way out."

"So...he's bitter because his mom left him...when I had a mom growing up...and...he wanted his own mother to be there and love him...because he was her child..." Ichigo gave a small noise, petting the cat gently. "I had...no idea..."

"Might be part of it," Jaegerjaques shrugged. "The rest? Only he knows. What I do know is that the ass back there actually tried to do something when no one else would. I don't know his goddamn motive for it or why the hell he did, but apparently it didn't go well. Tch... Rumors are rumors after all..."

Ichigo slowly stood, looking at Grimmjow. "Thank you...Grimm..." he said gently before his feet padded him up the stairs. The orange haired teen dropped the kitten gently in his room, leaving the door open 

incase the small cat wanted to roam around. With a deep breath of boldness, Ichigo slowly made his way over to his brother's room, gently knocking on the door.

Grimmjow smirked at the teen, deciding it was time to go anyway. He had more relatives to visit and he definitely needed more time to himself. He called over to the teen as he passed. "Tell your brother I'm out. I'll pick him up at ten for his birthday. Fucking taking him clubbing, so he'd better dress well."

"Okay!" Ichigo called down, turning back to the door. Shiro's birthday...Oh god Shiro's birthday! Ichigo shoved his panicking in the back of his head, deciding he'd just go out some time by himself and get Shiro something, and hopefully sneak it around so Shiro wouldn't notice he'd gone off and out of the house without telling him.

While the little chat had been going on, Shiro was in his room. He had immediately opened the curtains and took out a pad of paper and a pencil. Plopping on his bed, he gave an irritated growl to the kitten that kept insisting on following him. Once the thing settled itself to Shiro's left, it curled into a ball, satisfied. Golden eyes rolled with a huff escaping lips.

Shiro took his MP3 played and stuck the earphones in, blasting the music loud. The pencil seemed to move on its own as he started sketching, taking on the form of the unnamed kitten. This was the only thing he could do to take his mind off of things without completely trashing the house. He was so lost in this, in truth, that he never heard the gentle knock on his door.

Ichigo decided he had good reasoning for barging in, and as he checked the knob and found it unlocked, he didn't step in, but popped his head in. "Shiro-onii!" he called, waving his hand to get his older half brothers attention.

Truth be told his eyes had curiously noted the notebook, but he said nothing about it. That just gave him another idea about his brother. In truth he supposed figuring out the basics of his half brother wouldn't be that hard, if he just swerved questions around Shiro in an orderly fashion.

Both heads turned to Ichigo. "The hell? Fuckin' don't barge in here!"

"Well I knocked but you didn't hear!"

"Che... The hell do ya want, 'Lil King?" Shiro scowled, setting the book out of view.

"Um well...Grimmjow left to go see other people and stuff, but said he's taking you to a club and he'll be picking you up around ten..." he said, biting his tongue a bit. "And I dunno, I just wanted to see what you were up to." he added a bit cautiously.

"Che... 'Nnoyin' prick. I'll call him later," Shiro said, giving the little kitten a stroke absently.

The younger brother nodded gently, giving his brother a small smile. "Have fun then." he said, giving a little wave before closing Shiro's door again, humming a bit to himself as he spotted the grey kitten scampering towards him.

Shiro blinked, wondering what the hell that was about. He pulled out his notebook and took up sketching again. "What th' hell did he come in here for?"

Ichigo slumped onto his bed, sighing. "God I'm a puss..." he grumbled to himself, index finger nuzzling Hichi's head as the kitten crawled her way around him, as if his body were a huge mountain for her to explore.

The eldest of the family yawned. Within a few moments longer, the pencil dropped from his hand. His eyelids fluttered closed shortly and he drifted off.

Another half an hour passed and Ichigo came stumbling out of his room again, this time holding the kitten securely to his chest. Another wave of fear set over him when he fell asleep, that room was getting at him, he just knew it! In a childish way, Ichigo ran over to Shiro's door, knocking pretty loudly; just incase Shiro was listening to his mp3 player again.

Shiro jolted up, his headphones having turned off and the knock had stirred him. The sudden movement made the black kitten sit upright, yawning, but mostly undisturbed.

"Come in," he said in a hoarse voice, rubbing sleep from his eye.

Ichigo opened the door pretty fast, his body trembling a bit. "S-Shiro..." he called, his voice squeaky, eyes sickly. He looked as though he were about to pass out, like he'd been running miles for hours. The kitten in his arms was uneasy as well, and had been the one to wake Ichigo up in the first place. There was a red cut across his nose that was slightly dribbling blood. It felt pathetic, and childish but he said it anyways.

"I-I h-had a bad d-dream..."

An eyebrow rose and Shiro quickly stashed his notebook once again. His golden eyes took in Ichigo's form. A yawn passed by, unstifled. "Yeah? And?"

"I-I um..." the boy looked down, looking back at Shiro nervously. "Can I..um...stay with you until you leave with Grimm...?"

"He's comin' for m'birthday an' that ain't for 'nother two days..." Shiro groaned, pulling back his comforter, not even caring if he disturbed the kitten there. "Do whatever ya want, just don't bother me."

He nodded his orange haired head, sitting down on Shiro's bed quietly. It was odd to feel, but around his half brother he wasn't as worried about anything.

"Betcha wanna fuck 'im." the distorted voice in his head chanted, giving a little giggle

The teen was sure that just because he'd left that world didn't mean Hichigo was going anywhere at all. Or maybe he was so used to the hollow that he had become a voice in Ichigo's head, saying things that Ichigo was sure he would say.

"I'm goin' t'sleep... Don't bother me 'til Karin n' Yuzu get home," the eldest grunted, slipping under is blank blanket. The kitten hopped back up on the bed and slunk in under the covers as well.

A small nod came from Ichigo's head and that was all, before the silent boy seemed to grow even more quiet, letting Hichi slip from his arms, crawling over and laying with the other nameless kitten lovingly. A small smile crept on Ichigo's face as he watched the two cats curl up together, and he gave a silent yawn himself. With a small rub of his eyes Ichigo leaned against the wall nearest to Shiro's bed, closing his eyes to allow him some sleep. Maybe he'd sleep easier here, with his brother.

Golden eyes slipped open slightly. Shiro was curious as to what was going on through the other teenager's head. A bad dream? The older of the two didn't buy that, not completely. Ichigo had been a little off since the whole mall thing and it was starting to bug Shiro. Why it did, he didn't know, but all he wanted to do was smack the kid around and tell him to grow a pair. Shiro kept his sense alert, though, wondering what the teen was going to pull next.

Ichigo's body limped back gently across the bed, the form instantly curling up. White teeth bit into a tanned bottom lip, eyebrows arched as he slept. Sweat was apparent on his forehead, and his body slightly trembled as the dream intensified.

"Wha's wrong kingy? Ya lost yer balls when ya got back ta this place!" his hollow cackled, grabbing him by the throat, fingernails digging in harshly to the paling skin; he purred, face inches from Ichigo's. "Though I 'spose, ya never were very manly anyways, Ichi king."

The boy thrashed and struggled under his grip, calling for Zangetsu, anyone to come. He was defenseless without his sword here, and the hand around his throat wasn't making it any easier.

Shiro felt the movement and growled. Without a moment's hesitation, he pinned Ichigo down. This did NOT please him. He left the kid on his bed and now the kid was flailing around like a tuna? That wasn't going to fly.

"Ichigo," He hissed.

Ichigo jumped, literally knocking his older half brother off of himself, his entire body trembling with fear. "N-no!!" he cried hoarsley, gripping himself.

"Yer gonna scare 'im kingy, and then he'd never want ya!" the voice sang, cackling a bit through his mind. "But I'd still fuck ya kingy, ya fairy." with another little giggle the voice drifted off into darkness.

Oh that did it. Shiro was pissed now. The brat fucking pushed him off! With a yank on his comforter, he pulled Ichigo down to send him crashing down to the floor.

A loud yelp left the boys lips as he hit the ground, immediately shooting up. "O-oh m-my god Shiro!" he cried, without a second thought clinging to his older brother. The orange haired boys face buried against his chest. "I-I appreciate you onii! D-don't l-leave me a-alone!!I-I c-can't h-handle t-this alone!!" he leaked out all at once, all he felt to his brother, accept for 'I love you', because he wasn't sure his brother would really give a damn or even still talk to him afterwards.

Shiro looked down at the kid. There was mild disgust written on his face. He was very pissed off, almost to the point of beating Ichigo until he bled. Too bad that wouldn't go over too well with the rest of the family. Shiro snorted, wondering how lucky his half brother realized he was.

"What the fuck is goin' on?"

"I-I...my..." he kept his hold on his brother, wishing he could get comfort in this. "My h-hollow...s-still there...a-and there's...n-nothing I can do..." he whispered shakily, eyes shutting tightly. "A-and I c-can't sleep w-without him t-trying to kill me in my sleep!"

"Ichigo..." Shiro said, a serious tone in his voice as he spoke, though he wasn't so sure personally. "It's not real. It's yer imagination run wild here. Ya got t'control yerself. If it doesn't stop in a few more days, then I'll take ya t'someone, but fer now try t'get a grip."

Ichigo nodded his head stiffly, opening his eyes a bit. "T-thank you...for being here for me...e-even if it's a pain in the ass...I-I know you still really care about me..." he murmured.

"I love you Shiro..." he whispered as boldly as he could.

"Che... Wouldn't say that, yet, 'lil King," the brother said. "Now lemme go back t'sleep, will ya?"

"C-can I sleep with you...?" he asked, looking up at Shiro with big brown eyes.

"Next terror ya get I'm kickin' yer ass out."

Ichigo smiled widely, hugging Shiro tighter before standing, holding a hand out to help him up. "Thank you onii!"

A hand batted Ichigo's away. Shiro stood on his own, grabbing the blanket. he placed it back on the bed neatly, not caring he covered both kittens in it. They squirmed around a bit before finding their way out. "Stop with th' onii... Makes ya sound whiny. Now get in and shut yer ass."

"Yes Shiro." Ichigo nodded, darting under the covers, nuzzling his kitten gently with a little smile.

That's better," Shiro nodded, getting in himself. This kid was going to be the death of him...

* * *

**Ichigo, Karin - AliceKing  
Grimm, Shiro, Yuzu - Higure-kun**


End file.
